


Together

by Anon11



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: Alpha/Omega, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:04:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23706847
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anon11/pseuds/Anon11
Summary: Ash runs away from a war that comes at her with the force of Ali's smile
Relationships: Ashlyn Harris/Ali Krieger
Comments: 139
Kudos: 196





	1. Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Soft Ash, strong Ali as requested ;) if you have any ideas, prompts or comments please let me know!

"You all should be ashamed! The best warrior among you is an omega!" An angry instructor yelled, making they all lower their heads in shame. "Get out of here! Damn it, useless bunch of cowards!" He spat out in anger, tossing his sword to the side and kicking the dirt in frustration.

"You're out of this world, Ali." Adam, an alpha told Ali as they walked out of their training. "I've never seen an omega with such skill with the sword."

"It's just practice." Ali shrugged, walking faster to get home before her father realized she was gone. 

//

"Ashlyn! Get back here!" Her grandfather yelled when he saw his teenage granddaughter running back into the woods with her friends. "Useless kid!"

"Don't be so hard on her." A man told the old man. "Her parents died and she had to leave her home to come live in this hole."

"She doesn't help around and I'm too old to make sure she has three meals on the table every day." He complained. "She should've stayed there."

//

Five years later

"How's the morale?" 

"Not good, sir." Ali replied as they walked through the camp. "We had too many loses yesterday and many of the wounded aren't looking great either." 

"Keep an eye on them, Ali. Don't let them suffer." The soldier told her and Ali nodded, knowing what that meant.

///

"Those damn kids!" Ashlyn yelled in frustration as she saw how the twins from the outskirts of town stole some bread from the pantry. She walked back into her bakery and shook her head when her assistant asked her what was wrong. "People are so poor here this whole place is pointless if they're gonna steal everything." She whispered angrily as she started the process for more bread again.

///

"We should be in the next village in a few hours. We'll camp near the river and we'll keep guards watching for signs of their army." A general said and all the soldiers nodded.

Ali had always been exceptional, and not always in a good way. She was a strong woman, proud warrior and had skills many alphas wanted for themselves when it came to the swords. She was beautiful, smart and young; had fought many battles and suffered many injuries as a consequence.

She was admired for her strength, but judged for not being a typical submissive omega, working quietly at home with her alpha's pups. She never wanted to fit in and the world never seemed to be that way for her; had she been born with a penis and testicles, she would be a feared and respected leader instead of being judged and hated in spite of being the best.

If she wanted something, she fought for it. If she wanted someone, she fought for them.

Ali enjoyed the company of any attractive female she could find in the taverns and small towns they would pass by, sometimes having to pay a few coins to get a relief to her heat before other soldiers could sense it. A couple of times she had to share her bed with an alpha male in order to get a relief while away at war, but she always resisted their urges to knot her. One time she even had to draw out her knife to prove she wasn't being funny, making the alpha cum in a hurry in his own pants as he ran away from her.

//

"I don't like what I'm seeing, Ash." Megan, Ashlyn's friend told her. "Everyone's leaving and no one from the king's forces is coming to protect us… we're sitting ducks waiting to be killed."

"You should go, Megan." Ashlyn sighed, sipping some water from a rusty cup. 

"Are you crazy?" 

"I'm not. Take my horse; I know you'll make it somewhere safe faster than me." She said with a smile. That alpha had become her best friend and almost her sister after her grandfather passed away and left her with a business she knew nothing about.

"What about you?"

"I'll stay and protect my old man's memories in this place." She sighed, sitting down on the floor next to the old kitchen.

"They will kill you, Ash." Megan said softly.

"I don't have money to move somewhere else, anyway, so I would die sooner or later." She shrugged. "Take my horse and leave now while you still have time." She insisted and have her friend a tight hug before pushing her out of the old bakery and locking the door behind her.

Ashlyn's parents died when she was a teenager and her grandfather dragged her from her old home and brought her back with him to his hometown where he was the master baker. He was proud and tall, a strong alpha who provided for his town and was recognized for having been in a previous war where he lost a finger and his wife.

Ashlyn was usually quiet but loved having fun and women even at her tender age, she was often running around after some omegas to spend some fun time together, or drabbling on whatever dirty paper she could find. She dreamed of being an artist but that was deemed as a waste of time and a thing for more sensitive omegas instead of a young alpha like her.

She became even quieter after her parents passed and moving with her grandfather, and was forced to learn the ropes of his business after he passed from a sudden illness that left her alone in the world. She discovered that baking was a thing of art in its own way, and quickly became a decent baker even if she sometimes tried to vary the recipe for the simple bread the people could afford and ended up with huge losses of money in the process.


	2. Battle

"We see no resistance, general. There seems to be very few people left and not many soldiers came to defend them." A soldier told the general. "More reinforcement could be on the way for them though, if our people's information is correct."

"Good. The rest will be good for the troops." He said simply. "Send half of our healthy force; I expect minimum resistance but we'll be ready if needed."

//

"Check behind the counters in the businesses, every room and every house." A man yelled to a few soldiers after a short battle against a few scarce soldiers and some civilians who wanted to fight against the enemy, Ali amongst them. "Bring back anyone who's alive and could hold some value for us and kill the rest. Show no mercy for these cowards." He said and Ali rolled her eyes.

She knew the real cowards were those who killed for sport and not those hiding in fear in their homes. She was an omega and she could understand it better, or at least that's what she thought.

She rode her horse and drew out her sword, stopping in front of an old house. She got off the animal and walked into the house, finding it empty. She continued with the next three houses and found nothing but dust and old belongings forgotten in the hurry to leave.

She was about to climb back up her horse until she caught a glimpse of silver hair entering an old building. She walked quickly after it and entered the building with her sword ready to attack, ears alert for any sounds, and eyes wide open.

She heard the wooden floor creak when she walked and heard the distinct sound of a quiet hush behind the dirty counter so she carefully walked around it. She found a woman covering a young girl's mouth as she cried in terror, and the kid ran before Ali could tell her to calm down.

"Wait! Damn it!" Ali yelled when she heard a strangled cry and the loud laughter of a soldier murdering her in cold blood. She looked down at the woman who was helping the girl and gave her a look to remain quiet while the soldiers passed. "Was she yours?" She asked and the woman shook her head. "Do you know a way out?" 

"Yes." 

"Then go; be quick and don't let anyone see you." Ali said and the woman looked at her confused. She was beautiful, captivating."I won't kill you but everyone else will." Ali said, pointing at the door with her sword.

"Why would you forgive my life?" Ashlyn asked quietly, too afraid to raise her voice and too terrified to move.

"Because this isn't what a king's army should be doing… killing scared people." Ali said simply and Ashlyn looked up at her. "A king should protect and expand, yes… but also conquer responsibly instead of killing unarmed and vulnerable civilians." She said and looked down at the blood on her sword: killing was never something to take away her peace of mind, but killing civilians who defended their homes was an act of cowardice in her eyes and made every kill harder.

"Come with me." Ashlyn said without thinking.

"What?" She laughed. "Are you crazy?!"

"No. I'm being serious." Ashlyn said and Ali looked at her as if she was out of her mind. "It's clear you don't want to fight and we could run away from here together… think about it."

"Get out of here before I decide you're not worth it, omega. Leave now!" She said and kicked Ashlyn's legs before walking out of the building and meeting a few soldiers outside, telling them there were no survivors there and avoiding to look at the dead body of the girl from earlier and the pool of blood around it. She looked back at the old building where the woman was hiding and saw a sign that said it was a bakery and looked down before they heard the horns of the enemy approaching them.

"Damn it… Adrian, go back to camp and ask for reinforcement now!" Someone yelled and Ali tried to get on her horse but the animal ran away in fear while she was left watching how an arrow killed the man next to her.

"Fuck!" The other soldier yelled. "Run, Ali!" He said as they all scattered for cover and looked to see soldiers running at them with menacing swords aimed to kill them. Ali fought and won three quick duels with enemy soldiers, quick cut to their guts and a classic sword to the thigh artery, and looked around to find her friends and fellow soldiers holding on for the time it would take for their reinforcement to get there to help.

She killed two more men and took a series of threatening hits that were well absorbed by her cheap armor. She sighed exhausted and felt the warm blood from man she had just taken the life of covering her hand. 

She fought hard until she saw the numbers of her allies reducing and thought of the omega she saw barely minutes earlier. She cursed under her breath and ran to the old bakery, killing another man in the process, her sword drenched in his alpha blood.

"Are you still here?" She asked and saw the woman peaking from behind the counter. "You idiot!" She hissed and walked to her, kneeling in front of her to hide from the enemy. If she was honest she wasn't sure if she should be mad at the woman for not running away or relieved to see she was still alive.

"Come with me." The woman insisted and Ali closed her eyes to think for a second. If she stayed she would probably be killed by the enemy, and even if she survived she would still have to go back to camp where she was judged and underappreciated by her peers, all of them alphas. She had the option to run away into the unknown with a stranger that would definitely slow her down and put her in danger, and she felt it in her gut that her decision had been made when the scared girl was killed a mere few minutes before, after being protected by the beautiful omega.

"Let's get out of here." Ali said and the woman smiled. "Do you have a weapon?" She asked and the woman showed her an old sword that seemed to be of good quality. "Good. Be ready to kill; don't freeze and run with everything you have. Don't stop running." She instructed her and the woman nodded. "Come on, we don't have all day." She said and the woman nodded and guided her to the back door of the bakery. 

She opened a door and looked around to make sure it was as safe as possible for them to go out and Ali unceremoniously pushed her out and onto the street. The woman fell and her sword slipped from her, making her an easy target for a soldier Ali killed before he became a real threat.

"Run!" She told her and she managed to get her sword back and run into the forest, following Ali's advice and not stopping even if her lungs burned. She could hear footsteps behind her but she didn't dare to look back in fear of tripping and falling so she kept running and held her sword tighter until she heard the soldier's voice. "Don't stop, keep running!" 

"Are they following us?" She asked and Ali simply kept running, passing her quickly.


	3. Walking

Ashlyn followed her for a good few more minutes until they reached a river. "I need to rest." Ashlyn sighed, falling to her knees and dropping her sword next to her.

"We don't have time to rest." She responded. If they followed up the river they would find her camp, and she would be safe but the woman would be killed before she could even come up with an explanation. If they went down with the river they would find some other towns where they could hide before they noticed Ali was gone and sent someone to kill her for dropping out of her duties.

The third option was to go through the forest and risk being killed by animals or thieves. Ali sighed and cursed at herself for leaving with a stranger simply because she was saving a random girl she didn't even knew.

"I can't go anymore." Ashlyn sighed and Ali shook her head.

"If we stay someone could easily find us." She explained. "We must keep advancing before it gets dark so we can get ahead of them."

"I can't." She said again, crying in frustration. Ali rolled her eyes and pulled her up, slapping her face to sober her up.

"We keep moving until I tell you we're safe, understood? It's my life that's in danger here too." She said angrily. "We'll go down with the river; I know of a place where we can be safe and where no one will find us." She said and leaned down to pick up the sword and give it to the woman, pushing her to keep walking.

Ashlyn simply continued walking, feeling her legs numb and heavy. She dragged her feet until Ali pushed her into the river so they would leave no tracks that could give away their position.

They walked in silence for what felt hours and Ashlyn started dropping behind as she truly couldn't continue. She fell on the water a few times and took longer each time to get back on her feet.

"We'll rest here for a bit." Ali finally said, pointing to a rock formation where they could sit and be protected from the view. "Let me help you." She asked Ashlyn as she saw her struggle to climb up a few rocks and noticed the scratches and cuts from her falls in the river.

"It's fine." She said and gave one last push of her energy to sit against a tall rock, her sword being dropped next to her. Ali sat next to her and closed her eyes to listen to their surroundings, finding nothing but the sounds of the water and the wind. "I'm hungry." She said after a few long minutes.

"I could try to fish here but we can't stay for too long." Ali said looking up at her. "You're a brave omega." She told her and Ashlyn chuckled.

"No, I'm not." She said looking into her eyes. 

"Not many people would try and save someone under your circumstances. For an omega that's impressive."

"I'm an alpha." She said simply.

"What?" Ali asked confused. She had never met an alpha who cried in despair, who gave up easily and who ran from a battle.

"As you heard." She said softly. "From being a brave omega to the weakest alpha you've met, only in a few seconds." She chuckled and cupped her crotch for Ali to see her bulge. "No doubts now, huh? We're two alphas running away." She said and Ali laughed now. "What's so funny?"

"Well we're definitely not two alphas running away." She said amused by their situation.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm an omega." She said and Ashlyn's eyes opened up wide. "I guess I'm the bravest omega and you're the softest alpha." She said and Ashlyn chuckled.

"Two broken beings, it looks like." She replied and Ali giggled. 

"I'm Ali." She said and Ashlyn looked over at her.

"Ashlyn." She said and comfortable silence settled between them for a few long minutes.

"That girl who was with you…" Ali asked after a while.

"Her name was Jenny." Ashlyn said softly. "She was my neighbor's daughter. They couldn't run away and her family must've been killed while she ran."

"I'm sorry."

"It wasn't your fault." She shook her head. "I think I can keep walking now." She said and Ali nodded, helping her back on her feet and guiding her into a new route by the woods and further from the water.


	4. Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Crying alpha to melt hour hearts

They kept walking and Ashlyn was exhausted by the time Ali pointed at a cave near a waterfall that came from seemingly nowhere. They crossed the river, getting their boots and clothes soaked, and were relieved to see there were fish in the water; Ali guided her into the cave when the sun was barely shining and hurried to light a small fire to keep them warm.

"You should take off your clothes and leave them near the fire for a bit or you'll freeze." She said and added some branches to keep the flames steady. "I'll go and try to get some fish for dinner." She said and walked back out to the river, leaving Ashlyn alone.

The alpha was shivering in cold, fingernails purple and hands white. She felt her feet throbbing in pain, blisters burning were her soft and soaked boots got the best of her skin.

She removed her shirt and felt her nipples hardening even more when the warmth of the fire reached her without the cold clothes covering her torso. She removed her boots and placed them near the fire, inspecting her feet and crying in pain when she saw the bleeding in her broken skin. 

She took a moment to recompose and then remove her simple soaked slacks, making sure all her clothes were placed close to the flames and scooting closer to get warm. She studied her hands and saw bruises and cuts from her falls, and then closed her eyes to think about the hard day she lived.

She cried when she thought about leaving her home behind for the second time in her life, how her friends died and no one could help them. She cried harder when she thought of Jenny, a young girl who loved to sing with her sister as they walked to the market to help their father every morning.

She dried her tears and tried to compose herself, not wanting any more embarrassment in front of the brave omega who saved her life. She warmed her hands and shivered when the breeze would reach her inside the cave, making her look to feel how her clothes were to get them on as soon as they were dry.

"Feeling better?" Ali asked after almost an hour, walking into the cave and taking a quick glance at the naked alpha. She came back with some fish and sat next to the Ashlyn, soaking in the flames to get warm as well.

"I'm sorry, I'm gonna get dressed." She mumbled, not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Don't worry. I grew up surrounded by alphas." Ali said simply. "There's nothing hanging between your legs that I haven't seen before." She winked. "I'll actually remove mine as well. If we sleep with wet clothes well freeze to death." She said and started removing her armor until she was left in her blood stained clothes.

Ashlyn looked down at her hands and avoided looking at Ali as she tossed her shirt closer to the fire and removed her boots as well. Ashlyn ventured to take a quick look at Ali when she was adjusting her hair into a bun and noticed her beautiful round breasts and hard nipples.

"Eyes are up here." Ali smirked, making her blush. She looked up at the alpha and chuckled when she saw her trying to look anywhere but her.

"I'm sorry-"

"It's fine." Ali chuckled. "You looked and I looked. Nothing wrong with a bit of fun." She shrugged. She had last been with someone a couple of months prior, and the banter reminded her of that.

"Oh so you looked too?" Ashlyn asked and Ali shrugged as she handed her a fish and a knife.

"Again… nothing you have in there that I haven't seen before." She said nonchalantly as she worked on the fish, cleaning it as best as she could before she started cooking it. "Eat this, get dressed and try to sleep. I'll stay up for a while and then I'll wake you up to rest for a bit. We have a long day ahead tomorrow." She said and Ashlyn nodded, doing as told. 

After eating she reached for her now dry clothes and got dressed, chuckling when she saw Ali was shamelessly staring at her while she put on her pants. She then cuddled closer to the fire and closed her eyes, falling asleep almost immediately.


	5. Hurt

"Good morning, sunshine." Ali said when she opened her eyes the next morning. The sun was shining and the fire was still burning.

"Shit… you didn't wake me." 

"It's fine, I'm used to this and you needed to rest for today." She said simply. "Besides… looks like you were enjoying your dream." She smirked and pointed at a large bulge in Ashlyn's pants.

"Shit…" she sighed embarrassed, covering herself with her hands.

"It's fine, really. If you need to bring it down it's fine by me." She shrugged again and Ashlyn groaned in embarrassment. She got on her feet and walked carefully out of the cave, looking around and listening intently for any signs of company around them. When she was sure they were alone, she brought her penis out of her pants and relieved her bladder, taking a few seconds longer due to her erection.

She walked back into the cave, her erection still being noticeable and making Ali smile when she said she was only peeing. The omega laughed and told her it was none of her business.

"We should get on our way soon." Ali said after a bit. She had gotten out earlier and brought some more fish for them to have for breakfast. "I know they must've sent at least a pair of soldiers after me."

"Why?"

"To have the satisfaction of bringing in a deserting omega. Your king doesn't take prisoners and I wasn't killed… and killed one of my fellow soldiers so..." Ali said simply with a shrug, cleaning the blade of her sharp sword. "Get ready to leave." She said and put out the fire, kicking the ashes and remaining rests around the cave to hide traces that could lead to them.

Ashlyn painfully looked at her boots and put them on, grimacing as she felt them hurting her open wounds and took her first few steps. Ali asked her what was wrong and she pretended to be okay, even if she wasn't able to walk more than a few steps without limping.

"You're hurt." She said as a matter of fact, helping her back to the ground. "let me see."

"I'm fine." Ashlyn said and Ali rolled her eyes and removed the alpha's boots in a hurry despite her protests.

"Shit." She hissed, watching how the blisters were bleeding, the thin layer of skin that protected the bubbles gone as soon as she put on her shoes. "Why didn't you tell me you were  _ this _ hurt?"

"I can go on." Ashlyn said, not liking the omega's tone.

"You can barely walk!" Ali said angrily. "Fuck!" She yelled frustrated. She knew she shouldn't have run away with her from the moment she made the decision, but that was just a whole other level of stupidity on her part.

"I'm sorry, okay?" She groaned, removing the other boot as her foot throbbed in pain.

"We must keep going." Ali shook her head. "Can you walk barefoot?"

"I- I guess." She said and Ali grabbed her boots and helped her stand on her feet. They were swollen and it was clear that Ashlyn was hurting.

"We'll have to be quick, okay? You can't leave any traces and if I tell you to run, you do just that." She said and walked past her and out of the cave. Ashlyn took a few tentative steps and then started going faster to catch up with the omega.

  
  


//

  
  


"I need to pee." Ashlyn told her after a couple of hours walking down to the east.

"Get your sausage out of your pants and do it; we won't stop for that." She said and continued walking. 

"I need to pee." Ashlyn said a few minutes later, but Ali kept walking. "Hey!"

"I won't stop when you can just do it anywhere." Ali said annoyed. When she heard no reply she turned around and saw Ashlyn crouching against a tree. "That's not peeing…" Ali said to her amused, watching how Ashlyn gave her a middle finger. "Alphas." She mumbled shaking her head, and continued walking to give her some privacy.

  
  


//

  
  


"I'm tired." Ashlyn said when she finally caught up with the omega who was waiting for her by a tree. "Can we stop for a bit." She said and Ali rolled her eyes and looked down at her reddened swollen feet. 

"How are you feeling?" Ali asked, noticing how sweaty she was, her cheeks pink and lips dry.

"Tired." 

"Your feet." She replied rolling her eyes.

"Oh… they're tired, and hurt a lot." 

"We'll walk a bit more and then we'll find a place to rest." She said and started walking again, smiling amused when Ashlyn groaned.

  
  
  


//

  
  
  


"Can we stop soon? I'm not feeling really well." Ashlyn said and Ali heard her strained voice, but kept walking. She advanced a few feet and then heard Ashlyn gagging and turned to see her throwing up, falling to her knees.

"Fucking hell…" she said frustrated, running towards her.

"I'm sorry, I just… I can't keep going." She said and Ali noticed her sweaty forehead, glassy eyes and flushed cheeks and neck. She was pale and clearly too tired to continue, the dehydration making her weaker.

"Come on, let's find somewhere safe to camp for now." She said helping her stand and practically dragging her a few feet before she collapsed again, vomiting what little was left in her stomach. Ali sighed and picked her up in her arms bridal style, deciding to camp next to a few tall trees and deciding that if they were going to get caught that was as good a spot as any other in the woods.

She placed Ashlyn on the ground, propping her head up with her boots and feeling her forehead. She cursed internally when she realized she was burning in fever and looked around for something that could help them. 

She left the alpha as she walked around the area, finding a few leaves and herbs she could use to tend her wounds, and looking for something to eat. She managed to kill a rat with a heavy rock, and walked back to find the alpha shivering in cold and sweating profusely. 

The omega lit a fire as close to her as she could and cursed the moment she decided to leave that cave with the injured useless alpha. She tried to understand where they were and even considered going back to the cave if she couldn't find somewhere safe the next morning.

Ali cleaned the rat and cooked it in the fire, taking a few pieces for herself and trying to feed Ashlyn some as well. The alpha was burning in fever and sweating profusely, her blond hair sticking to her face and neck.

"Try to eat." She said and Ashlyn shook her head. "You need something in your belly." Ali said softly and saw her drifting off to sleep. "Please just don't die." She sighed and made sure the alpha's feet were covered in the herbs before she sat down against the trees, keeping an eye open for any signs of company and falling asleep shortly after, praying to the gods that the alpha made it to the next day so she could help her.


	6. Warm

"Hey… how are you feeling?" Ali asked in the morning when she saw Ashlyn opening her eyes slowly, groggily. She spent the whole night shivering and sweating her fever, making Ali feel helpless as she didn't even have fresh water to freshen her up or give her to drink.

"Where am I?" She asked with a raspy voice that made Ali shiver for some reason.

"We're in the Dark Forest… south from your village." Ali said softly, trying not to startle her. 

"Oh…" she sighed and Ali heard her stomach growl loudly.

"You're hungry." She said with a small smile. If she was honest, she was relieved to see her companion was alive and seemingly doing better than the night before. Ali was used to being alone in the woods, but for some reason she felt like she owed her at least some effort to save her after she risked her life for her neighbor just a day or two before.

"A little." Ashlyn said, sitting up slowly, feeling her head pounding.

"I saved some rat for you." She said offering her a clearly dry and burnt piece of rat to eat. "It's not a delicious meal but it's something." She insisted and Ashlyn accepted it when she heard her stomach growl again. "We should go back to the river and maybe even to the cavern."

"You said it was too easy to find." She told her and Ali nodded.

"Well, yes… but you're hurt and sick and that's the safest shelter we can find for now."

"My grandpa used to say that you can't go forward while going back." Ashlyn said and shook her head. "We should go ahead and we'll find something."

"Are you sure?" Ali asked and took a quick glance at the alpha's feet and the herbs she used to cover their wounds with.

"Yeah." She shrugged. "I can't go super fast or anything but I'm sure it's better to keep going."

"Okay then." Ali nodded and Ashlyn smiled at her, practically devouring what was left of the rat. 

"Were you worried? About me." She said and Ali rolled her eyes.

"Oh come on." She chuckled. "I carried you in my arms like a baby but not because I was worried for you."

"Sure." Ashlyn chuckled and Ali smiled and looked down. 

//

"How are they?" Ali asked Ashlyn after a few minutes walking through the woods. The way Ali chose was humid dirt and leaves, something gentle on the alpha's wounded feet.

"They're good, really." She smiled sincerely and tried to keep up with her even if they were still hurting her."hey, can I ask you a question?"

"No, I wasn't worried." Ali joked and Ashlyn laughed.

"No, it's not that." She said amused. "Why did you run away with me?"

"Oh…" 

"It's okay, you don't have to answer." Ashlyn said and looked down as they walked a few minutes with no other sounds than their footsteps and and birds chirping in the trees around them.

"I didn't think about running away with you." Ali replied, startling Ashlyn. "I just saw an opportunity and took it." She shrugged.

"An opportunity?"

"To be free." Ali said amused. "You're curious like an omega, what is wrong with you?"

"Hey I'm sorry." Ashlyn laughed. "But seriously… why? You're strong and independent, and clearly can look after yourself."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I'm free to do so." Ali said and looked at her. "My king thinks that if you're serving his army is forever and for his own glory. You serve him and you belong to him." 

"You're like a slave, then?"

"Not to that extreme." Ali chuckled. "I'm just not allowed to have a family or a home until he decides." 

"Wow…" Ashlyn said surprised. "How… how does that work? I mean-"

"We live in camps most of the time and are home only a few times a year, there we stay with family and then go back to camps… then in a few years the king will receive a lost from our generals and they will give you some gold coins and your freedom back."

"Are you the only omega?"

"No, but I'm the one they all wanted to get rid of." Ali chuckled. "I kicked some alpha ass while training and then in battles. I never let them think they're over me and humiliate me, which is an offense for many of them."

"Why would they be humiliated? I mean you're actually better than most alphas I know- hell you're better than me too." She chuckled and Ali blushed slightly, looking down with a shy smile as she kept walking silently. After an hour Ali decided to stop and look for something to eat while Ashlyn rested for a bit.

"No luck on the food front." Ali sighed and Ashlyn looked slightly disappointed.

"It's fine, we'll find something later." She said and Ali chuckled. "What?"

"You sure you're an alpha?" She said amused. "You're too much of an omega to be an alpha."

"Why?" Ashlyn asked confused. "Because I can't hunt, find my way through the woods and start a fire from tiny branches?" She smirked. "Because let me remind you that you're an omega and can actually do all that."

"Oh I'm not doubting myself." She said. "I guess you're a broken alpha and I'm a broken omega." She shrugged and Ashlyn chuckled.

"You're right." She nodded. "Two complete opposites in a shitty situation together… maybe the gods think we'll make it together." 

"Together?"

"Working together." She clarified and Ali chuckled and started walking again. "Hey!"

"What?"

"You don't think we work well together?"

"We've been together for two days and you slept most of that time so… I would like to save you from my opinion." She winked and Ashlyn smirked.

//

"Can you hear that?" Ali said as she stopped suddenly.

"What?"

"Water running." She smiled and closed her eyes before she started walking north from where they were, keeping her eyes open looking for anything that could be of interest to them. She walked straight for a few minutes and found herself standing at the edge of a small cliff that led to a river and a modest cascade. "Yes!" She said excitedly, starting to look for a way to climb down the rocky cliff.

"Whoa that's pretty." Ashlyn said taking in the view. A few moments later she realized she was alone because Ali was already climbing down to reach the river. "Hey!" She said surprised and started following her, grimacing when the pointy rocks hurt her feet. She climbed back up and decided to put on her boots to climb down the short way to the omega. 

Ali stopped midway down when she saw the alpha with her boots on climbing down to catch up to her. She saw her sweaty shirt sticking to her back, arms flexing to support her weight and hands with long fingers keeping her safe as she caught up with her with a cocky smirk.

"Did you forget how to do it or what?" Ashlyn joked and winked at Ali, swiftly moving past her and making her groan when she realized what was happening. Her heat cycle was about to punish her again and she had nowhere to hide from it.

They made it to the river and climbed down the small waterfall that was no more than 10ft tall. There was a pond overflowing with crystal clear water where they saw some fish swimming around freely.

"This is awesome!" Ashlyn said with a bright smile, looking around in awe. Ali looked up at her and smiled a little, studying their surroundings and deciding to find a shelter fast so they could get cleaned up and rest their tired bodies.

"Help me pick up some branches and stuff for a fire." Ali said and Ashlyn nodded and immediately started doing what Ali asked. After a few minutes she went back to Ali with a decent sized load of firewood enough for a few hours and set it down by the spot where Ali had left most of her battered armor. "Great, listen… I've looked around and it looks like we're the first to be here in a long time except for some deer and other animals." She said and Ashlyn looked at her confused.

"Okay…"

"What I mean to say is that we'll be safe here, you big idiot." She chuckled and Ashlyn laughed and nodded.

"Oh, okay! Should've started by that." Ashlyn laughed.

"You can take off your boots; I know your feet are killing you." She chuckled. Ali kneeled and started arranging the area where she would start their fire and asked Ashlyn to bring her some rocks and other things to keep it safe from the wind.

By the time the alpha came back Ali had a steady flame burning a few branches, and had removed her boots and let her hair down, making her look like the tired omega she was. She stared at her for a second and then snapped out of it, sitting by the fire and removing her boots with a grimace, taking a look at her wounds and hissing in pain.

"Let's go get cleaned up; we have a few minutes of light and enough time to get warm after; I'll teach you how to fish our dinner so you're not a completely useless alpha." Ali said jokingly, grabbing her sword and walking towards the pond. Ashlyn laughed and followed her shortly after, stopping suddenly when she saw her removing her clothes and jumping into the cold water, staying down for a few seconds.

"Fuck-"

"Are you gonna stare forever or will you join me before it's too dark?" Ali said loudly looking at her as she washed her face and drank some fresh water. Ali started washing her body, rubbing her arms and torso before she washed her hair, all while Ashlyn awkwardly debated between removing her clothes or not. "Just get in already." Ali laughed. "Have you never seen a naked omega before?"

"I have, but I didn't want to intrude your personal time." Ashlyn said and Ali laughed loudly, making her smile. Now that she wasn't a sweaty mess, Ashlyn realized that Ali looked like a beautiful young woman enjoying herself and with a gorgeous smile, one of the traits she liked the most in a female.

"Whatever. Just get in here because you stink." Ali insisted. "I'll even turn around so I don't intrude your personal time." She repeated mockingly. Ashlyn rolled her eyes and removed her clothes, tossing them at Ali as she jumped into the water as well. "Fuck!" Ali laughed, tossing Ashlyn's clothes to the water and shivering as the splash she caused reached her. "Jerk." She said and Ashlyn laughed.

"Whatever, omega." Ashlyn said and Ali rolled her eyes and splashed her face before swimming around the pond. Ashlyn washed herself and drank some water, loving the feeling of freshness and calmness around them, and taking a good look at Ali as she swam and floated around.

After a few minutes Ali approached her and started talking to her about fishing techniques, making Ashlyn distracted as she could see her pebbly nipples peaking from the water. Ali took her time to teach her before she walked out of the water completely naked and handed Ashlyn s long pointy stick she prepared so they could fish. 

The alpha stared at Ali's toned body, from her breasts and arms and down to her gorgeous back and firm ass. She felt her dick twitching in the cold water and cursed as Ali turned and caught her staring lustfully at her. 

"You like what you see?" Ali asked and Ashlyn nodded and blushed before apologizing and shaking her head.

"I'm sorry I-"

"It's fine." Ali giggled and asked her to walk out of the water so they could fish their dinner. Ashlyn swallowed hard and did as told, looking down and avoiding Ali's gaze as the omega smirked and saw her slight erection. "Here, try and get one like this." She said and quickly moved to show her how to use the makeshift spear and catch a fish in the very first try. 

Ali caught the animal and broke it's neck before she tossed it to the side by her clothes, handing Ashlyn the spear and chuckling when she saw how she was getting harder and covered her erection with her hands, cupping her dick and testicles and blushing wildly.

"If you want I can finish here while you-"

"No, it's fine… I'll just get dressed." She sighed and quickly ran to retrieve her clothes and get her shirt and pants on, cursing when she saw the huge bulge in the front and heard Ali tossing a second fish by her.

Ali crouched and cleaned the fish, tossing the guts back into the water and chuckling when she saw other fish immediately going for it. She slowly got back on her feet and picked up her clothes before she teasingly walked back to their fire and heard Ashlyn mumbling something about being the most useless alpha before she followed her. 

Ashlyn sat down by the fire and shivered as she saw Ali putting their fish to the fire before getting dressed; Ali's white shirt was sticking to her wet torso, making it see through and hard for Ashlyn to ignore.

The omega chuckled when she saw Ashlyn was looking at her feet, and breathing heavily as she tried to focus on something other than her. She was flattered by the alpha's reaction to her body and actions, and actually enjoyed being the object of desire from an alpha who didn't feel threatened by her.

They sat silently and enjoyed the fire, eating in silence and loving the sounds of the woods around them. Ali quietly ate and as soon as the sun light was out for the day she started getting ready for bed, smiling to herself when she heard Ashlyn walking a few feet away from the camp. 

Ali tried to give her some privacy and be focused on the sounds of the night, the wind and the water, but the ragged breaths from the alpha as she jerked off were like light to a moth and she could only close her eyes and picture her leaning against a tree, her thick but not too long dick in her hand as she moved up and down her shaft, her balls bouncing as she jerked herself off thinking of Ali's body until she came with a muffled grunt.

Ali smiled and blushed, grateful for the dim light that wouldn't let the alpha know she heard her. Ashlyn quickly walked back and took her spot by the fire, curling up and falling asleep after s few minutes.

//

"Ali… hey…" Ashlyn whispered and shook Ali's shoulder. It was dark and cold, and Ashlyn was pale and shivering, making Ali sit up and get alert as quick as her system was used to during battle.

"What?" She asked and Ashlyn shivered. 

"The fire- I'm cold." She said embarrassed and Ali groaned and rubbed her face on frustration. She pushed her to the side and debated weather to tell her to go to hell or actually light another fire given how cold it was.

"It's too dark and we don't have any more firewood; just cuddle up and wait until sunrise." She yawned, exhausted from her emotions, the tireless walking and the worrying about Ashlyn's wellbeing the night prior taking its toll on her.

"I'm freezing." She said and Ali rolled her eyes and turned to face her, seeing how her teeth were clashing together and threatening to break if she went a second longer without a fire.

"Come here." Ali said and patted the spot next to her on the ground, opening her arms for the alpha to laying front of her while Ali spooned her from behind. "Try to sleep and focus on my body against yours." She whispered, hands going to Ashlyn's and rubbing them together.

"You're warm." She said and Ali nodded, jumping in surprise when Ashlyn turned around, laying her head on Ali's shoulder and sliding her cold hand under Ali's shirt, feeling the warmth of her torso and finally relaxing and going to sleep as the omega rubbed her back and forearm gently, keeping her warm.


	7. Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoy this one! Don't forget to comment :)

"Ashlyn?" Ali asked the moment she woke up and realized she was alone and the alpha wasn't in sight. She grabbed her sword and quickly looked around, walking fast until she reached the pond and found the alpha there, trying to fish like Ali told her. "You almost killed me." Ali sighed and Ashlyn jumped in surprise.

"Oh I'm sorry! Good morning!" She smiled and turned to her. "I wanted to fish something and surprise you as a thank you for not letting me die in the woods by being a slightly useful alpha but…" she shrugged and looked down in shame. Ali looked at her and realized she was soaked from head to toe, which meant that she probably had fallen into the water at some point.

"Hey it's fine… it's the thought that matters." She said with a kind smile. She had never had an alpha in her life to surprise her with something other than swords or punches in battle. "And fishing is hard." She said and put her sword down, going to her and squeezing her forearm encouragingly. "Try again." 

"I'm useless. What's the point?" She sighed, handing Ali the makeshift spear and trying to walk away, being stopped by Ali's hand on her arm.

"Try again. I'll help you." She said again. She could've taken the spear and fished for hours but the thought of the alpha feeling humiliated like that after trying to have a nice gesture for her wasn't something Ali wanted to deal with. "Come on, you just need some practice." She smiled and Ashlyn looked at her with blushed cheeks. "Come on." She insisted and Ashlyn turned around and took the spear, trying to mimic Ali's movements from the day before.

"If I can't do this in three tries you're gonna be in charge of fishing and me of cooking." She said amused but Ali heard the slight disappointment in her voice.

"Okay, that would go well with our broken alpha and broken omega roles." She said trying to cheer her up and making her laugh. "We're one of a kind." 

"For sure!" Ashlyn chuckled, trying to go for a fish and failing miserably. She cursed and picked the spear again, making Ali chuckle. The alpha got back into position and then tried again, failing miserably a second time. 

Ali saw her deflating before her, the alpha's shoulders falling and her demeanor changing as she felt more and more humiliated. She took a step closer and stopped her as she was going to try the third time by putting a hand on the one she was holding the spear with.

"Be quieter, fish get scared by the noises we make in the water or near it." She whispered softly. "Try to anticipate their moves instead of aiming for where they've been, that will increase the chances to get one." She said and Ashlyn tensed up a little with Ali's body so close to her. "Stand firm but still, breathe before you take your shot." She said and Ashlyn relaxed a little when Ali placed a hand on her hip, adjusting her position and then moved it to her stomach, pressing it gently as she guided her breathing. "Try again." She said and took a step back.

Ashlyn took a deep breath and missed Ali's closeness and warmth, closing her eyes and focusing on her words. She opened them and saw a fish swimming past her; she got ready, took a deep breath and tried a third time, anticipating the animal's path and finally piercing through it with her makeshift weapon.

"Yes! I knew you could do it!" Ali smiled brightly watching her struggle with the spear to try and get the fish out of the water. She saw how her prey was about to escape and decided to jump in to help, tossing it to the ground before it could break free.

"I can't believe I did that!" Ashlyn said and Ali looked at the pride glowing on her, knowing that the alpha was even more excited for her success than she was.

"That was a great strike." Ali nodded smiling. "Great job, Ashlyn."

"Call me Ash." She said with a shrug, watching how Ali broke the fish's neck and started cleaning it right there. The alpha handed Ali the spear and the omega chuckled as she quickly fished another one with ease, cleaning it up and handing it to Ashlyn as well.

"Why don't you go and start these, I'll clean myself up and join you in a bit."

"Sure!" Ashlyn said and took the fish from her, walking to their small camp with an extra spark in her step. Ali smiled as she watched her walk back allowing her eyes to drift down to her firm ass, shaking her head when she realized that it was her heat causing her to mix things up.

Ali quickly washed her face and neck, loving the feeling of the cold water on her skin and realized just how close she was to her heat finally hitting her full force. She drank some water, made a short walk around to make sure no predators or people had been near them, and emptied her bladder before she washed her hands again and walked back to camp, finding the alpha sitting against a tree.

"Hey, I was getting worried." She smiled gently at her and Ali smiled, sitting by her.

"I wanted to check the perimeter." She said and closed her eyes, listening to the wind and the trees.

"Breakfast is almost ready." Ashlyn smiled and Ali looked at the fire, finding the fish there looking quite good and ready to be eaten. 

"I'm starving." Ali smiled.

"I wanted to ask if we're leaving soon or staying for today."

"I think we should stay for a couple of days." Ali said and Ashlyn nodded. "you need time to get better and your feet need to heal… I also need to stay here for a few days because my heat cycle is starting soon and I won't be able to walk much or be ready for a fight in case we find someone on our way." Ali said and Ashlyn looked at her alarmed.

"Your- your heat?"

"You do know I'm an omega, right?" She chuckled. "I'm gonna start burning in fever soon so having the cold water close to us will be handy." 

"Wait but… your heat is when you-"

"Crave sex at all times, yes." Ali sighed and Ashlyn watched her closely, noticing for the first time how sweaty skin was even in the cool morning air. "I promise I won't jump you in the middle of a conversation, so don't worry." She chuckled and Ashlyn nodded.

"If you need help-"

"You want to fuck me?" Ali chuckled and Ashlyn shook her head.

"No!" She said loudly and Ali looked at her amused. "I mean, yes- no!" 

"Hey, it's fine!" She laughed. "If I need to have sex, I'll just let my fingers do the walking." She said and Ashlyn's cheeks blushed. Ali smirked at her uncomfortable demeanor and reached to get her breakfast from the fire. "We should build a small shelter; looks like it could rain soon." She said and took a piece of fish in her fingers, blowing slowly and finally putting it in her mouth.

"I could help with that." Ashlyn said softly. "My father worked as a builder after he got sick, before he died." 

"Sick?"

"He was a blacksmith but he had kind of couldn't breathe with the heat and the fire, one time he almost passed out and burned the whole place down... He was never the same after that… he started helping others when they built their homes or helped with stables and stuff before he got sick and died."

"I'm sorry to hear that." Ali said softly.

"It's fine." She smiled at her gently and then reached for her breakfast as well. They are in silence and after they were done Ashlyn said she would go around looking for branches or something they could use to build a small shelter fit for them. The alpha wanted to be useful and so she tried to find firm branches and brought them back to their camp, finding Ali working on the structure that was starting to take form.

After a few long hours of Ashlyn walking further and further from camp, she found a bush with some berries she recognized from her times in the woods with a girl, spending some time away from the busy town and having lazy sex against a tree. She collected as many as she could carry in her shirt and walked to the camp, happy to surprise Ali with her finding.

"Ali? Where are you? Are you okay?" She asked and waited for s response; when she heard nothing, she started walking around and then headed to the pond, finding Ali naked into the water, swimming around in silence. "Are you okay?" Ashlyn asked and Ali opened her eyes to see her, sweaty and dirty from carrying firewood and branches around the woods all day long.

"I was too hot." Ali said and Ashlyn heard the roughness in her voice, making it raspier.

"Do you need something?"

"Keep going with the shelter and keep the fire going… I'll be there in a minute." She said and Ashlyn nodded, turning around and leaving her alone again. She looked at the work Ali had been doing and studied the best way to continue, taking smaller branches and adding a makeshift roof for it.

It was a simple rectangular structure that had enough room for the both of them, being tall enough for them to sit inside and have enough room for them. She added smaller branches and leaves to try and make it resistant to the water as she felt the breeze cooling down quickly and heard thunder rumbling, announcing the rain.

"I brought lunch and dinner, just in case we can't come out to fish later." Ali said as she held five fish in the air.

"How are you feeling?" 

"Better." She said simply. She hated feeling weaker because of her stupid nature and hated even more that alpha's asked how she was doing as if she was sick. She knew Ashlyn was asking from a place of real concern, but it still made her upset.

"I finished the shelter… I think we should do something to protect the fire though." Ashlyn said, noticing how uncomfortable Ali seemed. The omega's cheeks and her neck were pink and she could see some sweat in her hairline and face.

"Yes, I think we could do something similar but for the fire." Ali said and started grabbing taller branches and allowed Ashlyn to help her as soon as she felt some dropplets of rain falling on her burning skin. 

In a few minutes their shelter was finished and their fire was protected from the rain with a tall shelter to allow the smoke to leave with the wind without flooding their living space; they managed to make the fire a part of their own shelter and we're glad they would be warm during the night. They made sure there was enough material on the surface to keep it protected from the rain, giving them only a few minutes to gather some dry firewood before it started raining hard.

The omega sat quietly in their shelter while Ashlyn laid down in silence, closing her eyes and falling asleep after a few moments. The alpha slowly woke up from her nap after an hour, realizing that it was still raining hard and that it didn't seem like it would stop any time soon; she turned to see how Ali was doing and was startled when she didn't see her.

"Ali?" She asked and sat up, immediately leaving the shelter when she had no answer. She looked around and saw Ali walking around the camp naked, enjoying the rain pouring down on her burning skin. "Ali? Are you okay?" She asked the omega, who turned to her with a smile, her cheeks pink and nipples hard as pebbles.

"Get back inside." Ali said calmly, her voice raw and weak.

"Are you crazy?! Come with me." Ashlyn shook her head and reached for her hand, feeling how hot her skin was and realized that Ali's head had presented itself. "Come on!" She pulled her with her and guided her to the shelter.

"I'm burning." Ali said as she shivered and Ashlyn found Ali's clothes scattered around on her side of the shelter; the alpha was glad she left them there and that they were dry so she immediately helped her get dressed and moved her closer to the fire.

"I can feel that, but you need to get dry." Ashlyn said and gently rubbed her arms to warm her body. "Come here." She said and sat down next to her, pulling Ali to sit between her legs and wrapping her arms around her like she did the night before.

"You smell nice, alpha." Ali said softly, pressing her nose to Ashlyn's chest.

"Are you hungry?" Ashlyn said softly, trying to distract the distressed omega.

"Hungry…" Ali repeated and Ashlyn's body tensed as the felt the omega's hands on her thighs."For you…" she whispered with a smirk, looking up at Ashlyn and licking her pulse point in the most erotic way the alpha could've felt.

"Don't." She said and held Ali's hands in her own, bringing them closer to the fire to keep her warm. They stayed like that until Ashlyn's clothes had dried up and Ali had relaxed for s bit, her fever going down and allowing her to move to her side of the shelter for a nap.

Ashlyn sat quietly and listened to the rain as she stared at the fire and hoped the rain would stop soon so she could take Ali to the pond. When it was clear that there wouldn't be a break in the storm, she started preparing their dinner and woke Ali up gently, handing her s fish as soon as she sat up.

"I'm sorry for earlier." The omega said and Ashlyn looked at her confused. "My heat is usually strong and I can usually focus on something else when feeling like this."

"Like in a battle?" 

"Yes."

"Don't worry about me, Ali." Ashlyn said sincerely. "I actually offered to help." She shrugged and Ali giggled.

"Well, if the storm doesn't go away, I might have to take you up on that offer." She said casting a glance at Ashlyn, who simply nodded at her.

"No problem." She said sincerely. "Maybe I'll be a useful alpha for that." She smiled and Ali giggled amused.

After they finished eating they took their respective sides of the shelter to sleep for the night, enjoying the sound of the rain and the warmth from the fire. After a few hours Ali woke up and saw Ashlyn sleeping peacefully next to her, and felt her heat warming her up from the inside, making her focused on the slight bulge in Ashlyn's slacks and her breasts.

Ashlyn woke up in the middle of the night after a very long and loud thunder made the storm pick back up. She looked at Ali's side and saw her laying on her back, naked from the waist down and with a hand buried deep inside of her burning core.

The alpha closed her eyes to give her privacy, but she could hear the ragged breaths and slight moans coming from her. The omega whimpered and shook in pleasure as she played with her clit and stroked her walls with two fingers buried inside of her, making he alpha start to get hard, even as she tried to give her privacy and focus on something else.

"Ash…" Ali whispered and looked at her, noticing the growing bulge in her front. "Ash…" she moaned and Ashlyn opened her eyes, finding her looking at her and moving her hands in furious circles on her clit. She stared at Ali and after a few minutes the omega looked into her eyes, licking her lips and biting her lip until she came hard with a whimper that Ashlyn felt deep in her own belly, making her instantly harder.

Ashlyn allowed Ali to stare at her and turned to lay on her back so her bulge was more noticeable for Ali as she continued moving her hands all over her body. The alpha resisted the instinct that screamed at her to go fuck Ali senseless, and focused on the rain and the storm while Ali brought pleasure to herself until she fell asleep.

//

"Morning." Ashlyn smiled gently, watching as Ali stirred awake. She was sitting against the tree that supported their shelter and Ali was close to her, sweating profusely.

"Good morning." She replied in a husky voice. She slowly sat up and noticed it was still raining even if was a shower instead of the wild storm from the night prior.

"How are you feeling?" Ashlyn asked, offering her a handful of the berries she picked up.

"I'm still feeling it." Ali sighed and smiled apologetically, closing her eyes in shame when she remembered the scene from that night when she masturbated looking at Ashlyn. "About last night-"

"It's fine." She smiled gently at her. "Really." 

"I shouldn't have- I mean… you didn't give me permission to act like that." Ali said shaking her head.

"Look, I offered to help if you need me to and you didn't do anything… if you got a relief that's cool by me." She shrugged. "You're feeling miserable so don't sweat it thinking I'm mad or uncomfortable or whatever." 

"Thank you… for that and for not actually acting on me last night; I know it's hard for an alpha to resist the urge."

"I wouldn't hurt you like that." Ashlyn shook her head. "I offered my help but I have no permission to help you so I won't touch you when you're feeling like that because you're out of it." She explained. "I respect your alpha energy." She winked jokingly and Ali giggled and smiled.

"Thank you, Ash." She said sincerely. 

She had been surrounded by alphas her whole life and had even had to draw her sword out to defend herself from a few of them who thought they were entitled to her omega nature. The fact that Ashlyn told her she respected her made her feel safe and secure, allowing her to finally relax around the alpha.

They spent a few hours sitting and talking while the rain continued. Ashlyn prepared the fish they had left and they are as they shared some stories of their past and allowed them to get to know each other better, distracting them from the storm and from Ali's heat until she started sweating again.

"I'm gonna go swim for a bit." Ali said and started removing her clothes, her back turned to Ashlyn, who stared at her.

"That's not too safe."

"I'm burning in fever." Ali said and looked down.

"I'll go with you." Ashlyn said and Ali turned when she heard her removing her clothes as well. The omega smiled at her and walked out of the shelter, walking to the pond and loving the cool rain on her skin, cooling her down. She sat down on a rock by the water and took a deep breath, smiling when she heard the alpha walking into the pond and swimming around, laughing as the cold water surrounded her body.

"You don't have to do this." Ali said and Ashlyn smiled and shrugged.

"I kinda stink so I should get cleaned up." She shrugged again and Ali nodded.

"Good point." She giggled and stood up before walking into the water as well. She felt the instant relief of the cool water surrounding her and smiled as she swam around for a bit before she stopped and started cleaning herself up, hands running over her arms and neck, washing her armpits and the underside of her breasts. The omega moaned softly and moved her hands to wash her pussy, feeling the burning warmth and the wetness pouring from her core.

"Let me help you." Ashlyn said and Ali looked up at her. She was aware that allowing an alpha to help her would make her heat go away faster, but she was afraid that allowing Ashlyn to help her would change the dynamic between them, as she was comfortable being the dominant figure in their situation. 

Ali studied her options, feeling her clit throbbing between her legs and her nipples hardening like diamonds. She looked at Ashlyn and saw her leaning against a rock, breasts full peeking from the water and nipples hard as hers.

“Not right now… but maybe tonight. Maybe not full sex but like… maybe we can make out, and if I really need it maybe we can see if something else is needed...” Ali said and Ashlyn smiled and nodded at her, going to swim around again. Ali stood awkwardly for a second before she continued washing her body for a few minutes before she took a few moments to fish their dinner before the storm started picking up again.

They ran to their camp and sat by the fire, allowing their bodies to get warm and dry before getting dressed again. Ali felt much better and was able to take a long nap, being woken up by Ashlyn and freshly cooked fish.

They talked even more and shared some stories about Ali’s battles and the things Ashlyn did when she worked with her grandfather. Ashlyn told her about her friend and how she had taken over her grandfather’s bakery after he suddenly passed.

Ali listened intently and enjoyed Ashlyn’s voice, the calm that it brought her, and how the alpha seemed to be genuinely interested into what Ali was saying. She asked the right questions and Ali felt herself getting lost into the connection they seemingly had, until she remembered she was in her heat and that anything the alpha did would be heavenly for her.

Ashlyn noticed Ali was shivering and insisted on allowing her to lay next to her like they did their first night there. The omega rested her head on Ashlyn’s shoulder and without thinking wrapped her arm around her torso and allowed her leg to be on top of the alpha’s.

Ashlyn simply held her and continued talking until she felt Ali had fallen asleep. She closed her eyes and enjoyed Ali’s warmth around her, realizing for the first time in a long time how much she missed the feeling of an omega sharing her bed.

After a few hours, the storm was a violent mix of endless rain and thunder, lightning making the night clear as day and wind blowing hard like a hurricane. Ashlyn was scared and shivering, struggling to keep the fire going and checking on Ali every now and then since the omega seemed to be doing better but occasionally whimpered and started sweating profusely.

“What’s going on?” Ali asked as she sat up.

“This storm is wild.” Ashlyn replied. She was sitting down against the tree and saw Ali shivering. “Come here.” she said opening her arms and smiling to herself when the omega crawled to her without thought, climbing on top of her and sitting on her lap. “Are you cold?”

“No, I’m burning, Ash.” she said softly and the alpha held her tighter. “Remember what we talked about earlier today?” 

“You want us to kiss?” she asked and Ali nodded. 

“I think that would help.” Ali said smiling slightly, looking at Ashlyn’s lips before the alpha leaned down without hesitation and started kissing her slowly, her lips and tongue playing with Ali’s and making her moan, the omega’s hands going to her face and pulling her down slightly.

They started kissing, Ashlyn’s hands on Ali’s neck to guide her movements and control the kiss completely, while Ali let hers roam and explore the alpha’s body. She fondled her breasts, squeezed them and made her moan softly in return; Ali smirked and took control of the kiss by pushing her tongue against the alpha’s, making her move her hands to Ali’s ass and guide her until she was straddling her legs.

When they ran out of breath they broke apart, smiling when Ali realized she was pinching the alpha’s nipples, making her giggle. She slowly leaned forward and started kissing her again, slowly and deeply, her hands squeezing the alpha’s full breasts and receiving a gentle and encouraging squeeze of her big hands on her ass.

Ali slowly moved her right hand to Ashlyn’s crotch, cupping her dick until Ashlyn broke the kiss and stopped her with a hand on her wrist. The alpha allowed Ali to caress her slightly hard cock over her slacks, loving the rough touch of her warm hands and the urgency she had.

“No sex.” Ashlyn said and Ali nodded, biting her lips and starting the kiss again. Ashlyn moaned and adjusted their position until Ali was laying on her back and she was on top of her. The omega’s hand squeezed her dick roughly and Ashlyn heard her moan when she pressed forward and her bulge rubbed Ali’s front.

“Again…” Ali moaned and Ashlyn smirked, realizing that it was going to be the best way to help Ali. If she was relieved masturbating to her, then dry humping would be even better for her. She reached for Ali’s hands and moved them to her breasts as she sat up, sliding her own hand under the waistband of her slacks and caressing herself so she was fully hard; she adjusted the position of her cock so it was bulging in the front and leaned forward so it was pressed to Ali’s clit over her clothes. “Fuck… again.” Ali ordered her and Ashlyn smirked, starting to move her hips so her erection rubbed Ali’s throbbing clit with each stroke.

“You feel good?” Ashlyn said softly as she leaned down to kiss her slowly, chuckling when Ali’s hands slid under her pants and squeezed her bare ass hard, leaving the marks of her fingertips in her skin. “Fuck… Ali-”

“You feel so hard, alpha… keep going!” Ali moaned loudly and Ashlyn increased her pace, thrusting fast and hard against the whimpering omega while she massaged her ass and kissed her like no one had done before. Ashlyn focused on the feeling of Ali’s body under hers, her moans and the smell of her in the air; she could feel the heat radiating from her and when Ali came with a loud cry of pleasure and shook underneath her, she felt her knot forming, giving her extra friction in the already tight space in her slacks. “Keep going!” Ali ordered and started moving her hips to meet Ashlyn’s thrusts, coming again and moaning into their heated kiss.

Ashlyn continued to thrust against the omega, who smiled brightly and allowed her to continue until she felt herself exploding into a delicious orgasm, cum leaking from her hard cock and leaving a wet spot in her pants. she kissed Ali briefly and then moved to lay next to her, looking down at her huge bulge, her knot visible and a noticeable wet patch glistening as she panted next to the smiling omega.

“Thank you.” Ali said softly, looking up at her.

“I feel like I should thank you.” Ashlyn chuckled. “I don’t think I’ve ever knotted my pants like this.” she said cupping her knot and groaning in pleasure as it was too sensitive.

“Want me to help?” Ali asked, noticing the massive bulge for the first time.

“Nah… you should rest. How are you feeling?”

“Better… much better.” Ali smiled, shivering in cold.

“Come here.” Ashlyn smiled and Ali went to rest her head on the alpha’s shoulder. She felt exhausted and content in her arms. The alpha had been so careful with her and had been exactly what she needed when she was at her lowest. She stayed there for a while and noticed that her knot was still firm, so she sat up and then positioned herself on top of the alpha, pressing her warm core to the huge bulge and surprising Ashlyn as she started riding her knot while fully dressed.

Ali moaned and came twice on top of the alpha, her pleasure making her collapse next to Ashlyn as soon as the alpha shivered a brief orgasm, more cum staining her pants. They stayed like that for a while and when Ali was falling asleep she felt the alpha moving closer to her, silently asking to be cuddled near the fire. The omega turned on her side and wrapped her arms around the alpha’s body, pressing her forehead against her back and enjoying the warmth that radiated through them.


	8. Bittersweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here's the update! I'm sorry I didn't post earlier as I promised, but last week was rough and I didn't have much time to sit down and write something I was happy with. 
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this one! Don't forget to leave your comments!
> 
> Be safe everyone!❤️

"Good morning." Ali smiled, watching as Ashlyn woke up the next morning. The weather was nicer even if it was still dark and there was a cold breeze blowing. 

"Morning." Ashlyn yawned and sat up slowly. "How are you?"

"I feel much better… thank you." Ali smiled. "For taking care of me and helping me last night." 

"Glad to help." Ashlyn said trying to hide a smirk but failing. Ali laughed and rolled her eyes, blushing slightly.

"You should go wash your pants." Ali said giggling and Ashlyn looked down, finding the cum stains and blushing.

"I will… you're right." Ashlyn chuckled and left the shelter. She walked around camp and then headed to the pond; she took off her clothes and got in the water, swimming for a bit before she started washing her body and reached for her clothes to give them a quick rinse in the water.

She tried not to think about the previous night's activity, but she couldn't help but to let her mind drift. She loved having an omega on top of her and she loved hearing Ali's moans and feeling her heat against her body.

She felt herself getting hard as she remembered Ali moving her hips as she rubbed her core over Ashlyn's knot, so she looked around and made sure Ali was away before she moved her right hand to her dick, holding it firmly and starting to jerk herself off. She closed her eyes and moved her hips slowly to fuck her own hand until she felt her balls getting tight right as she came with a short orgasm.

She sighed and felt the cum spurting and milked her dick until she felt satisfied. Ashlyn looked around and noticed Ali wasn't around and continued to get herself clean before she walked out of the water.

She took her damp clothes with her and left them hanging near the camp so they could get dry. She walked around naked and found Ali looking for something to eat other than fish.

"Where are your clothes?" Ali chuckled, handing her a few berries she found that she kept in a small bag she carried under her armor. Ashlyn noticed she had sweat on her forehead, rosy cheeks and seemed to still be affected by her heat.

"By the fire." Ashlyn shrugged. "I can put them on if you're uncomfortable."

"Nah, don't you worry." Ali giggled. "After last night I doubt we can even blush if we see the other naked." Ali giggled. "Help me try to find some more berries, I'll try to get a rat or a squirrel… I'm tired of so much fish." She said and handed her the small bag.

"Sure." Ashlyn smiled and did as told. She found a small bush loaded with more berries after walking for a few minutes. She gathered some and then picked them up in her own arms before taking them to the camp.

She checked her pants and saw they were almost dry and put them on along with her shirt. She took a look at her feet and noticed they were almost healed and sighed as she knew that meant they would probably get back in the road soon.

She went back for more berries and came back to an empty camp; she went to try and find Ali, and caught a glimpse of her sitting against a tree with her fingers buried deep inside of her, moaning softly. She stared for a moment and debated whether she should go to her or if she should let her be.

"Fuck…" Ashlyn sighed, feeling her pants tightening as her erection grew with Ali's soft moans, and then turned silently to leave. She sat down by the fire and waited for Ali to get back and for her erection to go down, thinking about how life would be for her after they left their camp.

She wanted to be somewhere safe with a roof over her head, food on the table and a bed to sleep, but all that was behind her where war had taken her life away. She thought what it would be like to get into a new town and if she would be accepted, if she would be able to get a job or of she would even make it out of the forest alive.

She also thought about Ali and the moment where they parted ways, or if that would happen. She liked to be with the omega, talking to her and the banter between them; she felt like she could be herself without pretending to be the perfect strong alpha when she was nearby.

She allowed her mind to wander to a future where she could be with Ali, living in a small farm with a few animals where they would work together, baking Ashlyn's grandfather's recipe and selling bread for a living. She wondered if the omega would even be interested in spending her life with a broken alpha who couldn't even escape from war on her own and who stopped their plan to run away because her sensitive feet got blisters.

When she felt her chest tightening in negative thoughts she saw Ali walking to her with a rat in her hand and a bird in the other. The omega smiled brightly and sat by her, making her relax with her mere presence.

"I brought lunch." She smiled and Ashlyn chuckled.

"How even did you get this?"

"The rat was munching on a dead deer… it was too rotten for us, but she will be useful." Ali smiled. "And the bird was an accident." She shrugged and told her the almost unbelievable story that led her to throw a rock in frustration and get a bird in return.

"I'm not sure about that but I'll take it." Ashlyn chuckled and they started cleaning the animals and getting them onto the fire. Ali sighed and told her she would go to the pond to freshen up before their meal.

  
  


//

  
  


"Looks like it's gonna rain again." Ali sighed. They had eaten in silence and then laid down for a nap.

"Yeah…"

"What's wrong? You're acting weird." Ali asked her confused.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Sure."

"I'm nervous… for the future." She sighed and sat up against the tree. "We'll leave this place soon and… we don't know where we're going or if we're gonna die tonight." She explained and Ali nodded, giving a look to her feet and seeing how they were almost fully healed.

"We'll be okay, Ash." She said simply and Ashlyn smiled. Somehow she got the feeling that Ali was nervous about that too. "My heat is almost over so we could leave tomorrow or the day after. Your feet are doing much better too." 

"Yeah, the blisters are gone." She smiled and saw Ali shivering. "You cold?"

"Nope, just horny." She chuckled and Ashlyn giggled. "Can we cuddle?"

"Sure." She said amused and Ali scooted closer, resting her head on Ashlyn's chest and closing her eyes as she visibly relaxed. The alpha felt the heat radiating from Ali's body and how it made contrast with the cold breeze that announced the rain.

"Did you have someone? Back in the village."

"Someone?"

"A mate… or family."

"My grandfather passed and I've been on my own since then." She said softly. "I didn't have a mate but I kind of fooled around with an omega, the daughter of the teacher. She was set to marry an alpha but we sneaked around and had some fun every now and then." She said and Ali giggled. "what?"

"Nothing… it's just that that's such an alpha thing to do."

"Is it surprising to hear me say something an alpha would?" 

"Maybe."Ali giggled and scooted closer as the rain started pouring. "Another storm."

"Yeah… at least we got some wood for the fire." She said casting a glance at the dry wood they collected.

"And have other ways to stay warm." Ali said in a soft mumble, making Ashlyn smile. The alpha wrapped her arm around her frame, her free hand caressing the omega's hair while Ali shivered, feeling better with the alpha taking care of her in such a simple way. "I'm gonna take a nap." She mumbled and Ashlyn smiled, continuing to play with her hair until she had relaxed and fell asleep.

  
  


//

  
  


"I'm hungry." Ali sighed as it started getting darker, the storm making the sun disappear even if it was still early.

"Me too." Ashlyn replied sadly, looking down at the last bunch of berries. "Take them."

"You're hungry too."

"You need them."

"Why? Because I'm horny?" Ali asked amused.

"Of course." Ashlyn chuckled. "That and because you're sweating a lot with your heat and need something to keep your body going."

"Thank you." Ali smiled. Finding an attentive alpha was strange, and Ali had never had the chance to share a heat with one like she had with Ashlyn.

"How's the heat?"

"Good." Ali lied. She was wet and felt her clit throbbing between her legs.

"Great." Ashlyn smiled, listening to the rain. She sat down leaning against the tree and was surprised when she felt Ali moving to sit next to her, laying her head on her shoulder. 

"It's actually not good." The omega shivered and pressed her body closer and even tried to say something, opening her mouth a few times but no words coming out. "I feel like I'm burning." Ali whispered and Ashlyn felt her distress, smirking slightly. 

"Want to kiss for a bit?"

"Yeah…" Ali replied shyly and Ashlyn leaned to cup her face, tilting it to the side and kissing her lips slowly, shyly. Ali immediately moved to straddle the alpha's face and pulled her face closer so she would kiss her deeply.

"Wow…" Ashlyn chuckled and Ali smirked, embarrassed but pleased when she felt Ashlyn's hands on her hips. Ashlyn's tongue moved against hers and they moaned as they made out slowly. The rain around them got worse and Ali shivered with the cold wet breeze, feeling her nipples hardening against her thin shirt.

"I need more." Ali said in a low moan and Ashlyn kept kissing her, keeping the omega's mind busy. "Can I suck your dick?" Ali asked and kissed the alpha's neck hotly, holding her head back to give her space while the alpha sighed in pleasure.

"No." Ashlyn said and Ali whimpered. "Slow down, okay?" She said trying to stop the kiss. She pecked Ali's lips gently and smiled when the omega leaned to hug her tightly, her nose pressed against her neck. "We'll continue kissing okay? If you need more we can do the same we did last night."

"I need more." Ali insisted, a hand sliding under Ashlyn's shirt and moving it until she was cupping a breast.

"Ali…" Ashlyn moaned, feeling the omega's fingers pinching her nipple and rolling them between her thumb and index finger, giving little tugs.

"I'm not that far gone, Ash." Ali said and pulled back to look into her eyes. "I really need more. I need to fuck." She said and Ashlyn shivered. "I always fuck in my heat… if not I would be in a long heat when surrounded by alphas." She said and shook her head. "That's less than ideal… but right now it's just you and me, and I trust you." She said and Ashlyn looked up.

She didn't want to fail the omega, but she also didn't want to take advantage of the situation she was in. She would love to give in and fuck her senseless but Ali was vulnerable and would do anything to feel better.

"I can't do that… you can use your hand and if you still need more then we'll see." Ashlyn said and Ali looked down. "Hey… I would love to fuck you but I don't want you to think about this later and regret it." She explained and kissed her again, deeply and slowly, lowering Ali until she was laying on her back on the ground. "I want to watch." She said and Ali smirked, kissing her for a while longer.

Ali wrapped her arms and legs around her waist, canting her hips forward and moaning when Ashlyn pressed her bulge to her and started grinding rhythmically. She sighed deeply as they kissed, hands going to her breasts and squeezing them harshly as Ashlyn watched.

"You're beautiful." Ashlyn said and kissed her passionately. They kept kissing and grinding against each other until Ali moaned a small orgasm, shivering underneath the alpha. Ashlyn kissed her lips gently and then moved to her cheek and neck, feeling the salty sweat that covered her skin.

She moved to lay next to her, giving some time for the omega to recover and smiled when she saw her move a hand under her slacks, moaning when her cold hands found her clit and started caressing herself. Ashlyn observed her intently and Ali moaned to give her a small show, turning her on even more.

The omega entered herself with her fingers and kept caressing her clit with her palm as she pumped her fingers slowly, moving her hips to meet her hand. Ashlyn scooted closer and kissed Ali's neck, making her moan loudly and move her hand faster. 

Ashlyn sucked on her pulse point, using her tongue to soothe the reddened skin and smirking when Ali reached for her hand, sliding it under her pants and guiding her inside. Ashlyn moaned lowly, feeling how hot Ali's center was and how much wetness was gathered there; Ali opened her eyes and moved so they were looking into each other's eyes at the moment Ashlyn entered her with her middle finger and started fucking her slowly.

"I need more, Ashlyn." She said and Ali's wet fingers moved to Ashlyn's lips; the alpha sucked them into her mouth and licked them clean, moaning at Ali's taste. "Can I suck your dick?" She asked again, moving her fingers in and out of Ashlyn's mouth at the same pace she was using inside her. When she felt like she was close she removed her hand from the alpha's mouth and moved it to her bulged erection, squeezing hard until Ashlyn growled and kissed her hard, increasing the pace of her fingers and dragging Ali to a slow orgasm that made her whimper in pleasure.

Ashlyn moved her fingers on Ali's clit to bring her down from her high, making her smile in pleasure. After a few minutes Ashlyn chuckled when she felt Ali's hand massaging her bulge and tried to move her hand away, meeting resistance from the omega.

"I want to." She insisted and Ashlyn nodded slowly when she saw Ali licking her lips as she slowly reached into her pants and grabbed her firm dick in her hand. "Your have a nice cock." Ali said. 

"You like it?" She said swallowing hard and containing a moan when Ali kneeled up and made quick work of her pants, sliding them down just enough so she could have easy access to the dick she was dying to see up close. Ali wrapped her hand around it as best as she could since it was thick and not as long as others she had been with.

"I'm gonna suck you until you cum." Ali said and started moving her hand on her erection, applying slight pressure as she moved up and down.

"Ali…" Ashlyn sighed, closing her eyes and reaching to remove her pants to give her some room. Ali smirked and licked her lips, straddling Ashlyn's left leg and leaning down to kiss her lower belly that shivered in tickling anticipation as her lips moved to her hips and then lower, kissing the base of her fat cock and licking her way up to the tip. "Oh boy…"

"Tell me what you like." Ali said as she kissed the tip of Ashlyn's now throbbing erection. Ali wrapped her warm lips around the head, her tongue gently licking and teasing the small opening on the tip while she sucked on it; Ashlyn sighed and felt how Ali started grinding on her leg, giving some relief to her clit.

Ali slowly tried to get more of her dick in her mouth but failed for a few good inches since she was so thick. Ashlyn moaned and loved the feeling of Ali's hand on the base of her cock and the her mouth working on the tip. The omega moaned and started licking the underside of the throbbing dick, reaching Ashlyn's balls and sucking them both in her mouth, making her growl and reach to pull Ali's hair gently.

"Oh my- Ali…" she sighed and the omega giggled, releasing her balls with a loud popping sound and smirked as she kept sucking and licking on them as her hand continued to move up and down shaft. Ashlyn moved her hips slowly, fucking Ali's hand and groaning when she felt her practically riding her leg, wet warmth going through Ali's pants.

Ali felt Ashlyn's balls getting tight and moved back to her dick, sucking gently on the underside of her cock and gently using her teeth to tease her, making her sigh and tremble. Ali reached the tip and tasted precum that was starting to leak, using her tongue to clean her up and then started to suck on it.

The omega started moving her head and lips faster, making Ashlyn sigh and feel her toes tingle. Ashlyn felt Ali riding her leg and she let herself go, coming with a strangled moan as she pulled Ali's hair s bit roughly, just in time for her cum to leak slowly onto Ali's hand. 

Ali moaned and moved to remove her pants in a hurry, climbing back on top of the alpha and pressing her soaked pussy to Ashlyn's dick. She started grinding again while Ashlyn moaned underneath her, hands going to Ali's hips to guide her and coming for a second time after only a few minutes.

"Fuck me." Ali said and Ashlyn groaned, pushing her to the side and kneeling between the omega's legs, burying her face between them and using her lips and tongue to make her cum. Ali came three times on Ashlyn's tongue, the alpha moaning as the omega tugged her hair and asked her to keep going.

"Thank you." Ali whispered after a long while laying in silence, catching their breath.

"Don't thank me as if I made you a favor." Ashlyn chuckled. "I'll be more than happy to do more when you're not on your heat." She confessed and Ali moved closerbto her, resting her chin on Ashlyn's chest and leaning to kiss her gently.

"Thank you." She said again and Ashlyn laughed, kissing her slowly until Ali moaned and went down on her until Ashlyn asked her to ride her again until she came on top of the alpha.

When they were both spent, they cuddled together and kissed slowly by the fire to stay warm. Ali fell asleep feeling happy and secure in Ashlyn's arms, who also felt happy to have a beautiful omega trusting her in the way Ali did.

  
  


///

  
  


When the sun started rising for a new day Ali untangled herself from Ashlyn's body and got dressed. She sat up and stared at the partially naked alpha, smiling when she remembered how attentive she was the night prior.

She felt herself and realized her heat was almost gone and she was back to normal, making her smile as she was back in control of herself without being horny all the time. She then looked back at the alpha and realized that she had to make a decision when it come to her: stay together or part ways with the alpha as soon as they were both safe.

She made a quick reminder to herself that she had never been in a relationship with an alpha, and that her only try almost got her killed. She didn't want to put Ashlyn in danger and the constant worry that someone from her past could get to her and hurt her was almost too much for here

She allowed herself to wonder what it would be like getting a house in the woods with Ashlyn, living of whatever they could find without people bothering them. She had started feeling something for the alpha but she had convinced herself that it was due to her heat, but after the way Ashlyn treated her and helped her without losing sight of Ali's boundaries, she knew her heat only increased what she could feel for her in a sexual way.

She decided that the best was to avoid hurting the alpha, and made the decision to leave their small haven that same day. A slight hurt for her then was better than the heartbreak of losing a possible mate down the road.

"Hey…" Ali smiled from her spot by the fire as soon as Ashlyn started stirring, her hand almost looking as if it was trying to find Ali by her side. The morning was sunny and beautiful, no traces of the prior day's storm.

"Good morning." Ashlyn mumbled, sitting up and realized she was still naked from the waist down. "Where are my pants?"

"Your pants almost suffered an accident." Ali giggled, showing her the burnt leg. "We must've kicked it to the fire during the night… I woke up right on time." She said and handed it to her, who saw the burnt couple of inches of fabric.

"Well thank you." She chuckled, putting them on and stuffing herself into them.

"I think we should go." Ali said, acting almost as if the night prior hadn't happened, catching Ashlyn off guard. "My heat is pretty much gone and I feel much better." 

"Oh wow… uhmm sure…" Ashlyn said surprised. 

"Great." Ali smiled and stood up. "I'll go get cleaned up and grab some fish for dinner." She said and Ashlyn just looked at her as she left. After a few minutes she stood up and put on her boots, following Ali to the pond and finding her with some fish by a rock.

"We're leaving now?"

"Yeah, the weather is nice and I don't think it'll rain today. We should get going now that's early."

"Great… uhm if you want I can finish here while you put on your armor."

"I'm not taking that with me." Ali said shaking her head. "We'll take our swords and some fish but that's it. My armor has the king's crest and if anyone sees that then I'm dead."

"Okay…" Ashlyn said and watched as Ali took her bag and filled it with the fish. 

"You got everything?" 

"Yeah, my sword." Ashlyn nodded. 

"How are your feet?"

"Great."

"Awesome. Let's get going then." Ali smiled and started walking down the woods. "There must be a river somewhere; if we find it then we can follow it until we find a village."

"You know where we are?"

"No idea. I've never been this far in the east."

"That's great." Ashlyn said bitterly. Ali looked at her and decided to avoid asking her why she was in such a bad mood.

They walked silently for a few hours and decided to sit down and rest when the sun was too hot for them to continue. Ali started a fire and they are the fish she caught earlier, eating while in an almost complete silence that was never a rule between them.

From the moment they left Ashlyn's village they had always talked and kept the banter going, getting to know each other in the undesirable situation. Ashlyn was being cold and was clearly in a bad mood while Ali was trying to keep her distance from the alpha.

After lunch and checking on Ashlyn's feet, they started walking again and Ali felt the tension radiating from the alpha. She looked at her and she saw hurt and confusion in her face as they walk, her head trying to understand what made the omega change of mind overnight.

"We should look for a place to spend the night." Ali said and Ashlyn kept walking. "Ash?"

"Sure, just tell me when and what to do." She said simply and kept walking. Ali stared at her and noticed her slumped shoulders and sad demeanor, following her closely behind. 

When she noticed it was starting to get dark she told her they should start looking for a place to spend the night and so they walked until they found a quiet spot with a few trees where they could lean. Ali started a fire and Ashlyn walked around to look for firewood and something to eat; the alpha went back to the small camp with a bunch of wood they could use overnight and a handful of berries.

She laid her findings next to Ali and sat down next to a tree, away from Ali. The omega looked t her for a second and decided to speak up for the first time since they left.

"What's bothering you?"

"Nothing.' Ashlyn said coldly.

"Are you mad because we left?"

"I don't want to talk."

"I thought it would be better for us to leave." She sighed. "It was nice being with you but we're too different… we could get hurt- you could get hurt. I'm not one to be in a relationship, never have and never will." She said and Ashlyn scoffed. "We just met and I think my heat might've made things look a certain way for us but…"

"Yes, you made the decision and we're now on our way to… somewhere." She replied with bite. "Now if you don't mind, I want to sleep for a bit, alpha." She said bitterly and Ali looked at her stunned.

She saw the alpha curling up on her side to sleep and decided to stay up for a bit to watch the fire. When she thought Ashlyn was asleep she sighed deeply and felt a pang of guilt for making them leave like that instead of talking about it with Ashlyn.

She didn't want her to get hurt but she did exactly just that. 

Ali shivered in cold and moved closer to the fire when the cold breeze blew past them. Ali groaned and felt her skin erupting in goosebumps, shivering and making her miss the warmth from the alpha.

She remembered the first night they spent together in their shelter and how Ashlyn had been almost scared to ask for her help when she got cold. She remembered how her arms felt around her, her breath on the back of her neck and her heart beating against her.

She looked up and saw Ashlyn turning to lay on her back and she stared at her in the dark. She noticed how she seemed to be resisting the urge to talk and even ask Ali to move closer so they could be warm.

Ali remembered their last night together and her heart ached as she felt like that possibility of being safe and secure with Ashlyn was gone, forgotten in that pond they left behind. She shivered again and knew the night was going to be rough, until she saw Ashlyn extending her arms in a welcoming manner, asking her to get closer without talking.

"Are you sure?"

"Come here." She said and Ali immediately moved, resting her head on Ashlyn's shoulder and smiling when she caressed her hair to help her relax and fall asleep.

Ali decided she didn't want the alpha to get hurt but Ashlyn had decided to fight for what she would like, and that meant not letting Ali go that easily.


	9. Warm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys! I hope you enjoy this one!
> 
> I left a short message asking for prompts for a few one shots in the other 'story' sonof you think of something, please don't forget to comment!
> 
> Be safe!

"I'm cold." Ali whispered at dawn. She woke up shivering, her body having moved closer to the fire during the night and further away from the warm alpha. Now, the fire was dying and they had no more firewood to keep it going so she had to turn on her side and scoot closer to Ashlyn from behind, wrapping her arms around her frame.

"I'll go get more wood."

"No." Ali shook her head. She knew they only had to wait a matter of minutes before the warmth of the sun washed over them.

"Let's get going, then." Ashlyn said and sat up. Ali was cold and she was freezing too; she wanted nothing more than to cuddle her in and keep her close but they needed to get the blood flowing through their bodies again. "Come on, we'll get warm." She said and helped Ali to her feet.

"I'm hungry." She said sadly and Ashlyn knew that the situation was rougher on her for being just coming off her heat; Ali was smaller and her body was more fragile by nature, and after her intense heat and the prior day's walk she was probably dehydrated. She walked to the shivering omega and held her close for a second, giving her as much support as she could as an alpha and kissed her hair gently.

"We'll find something to eat on our way." She insisted and grabbed Ali's hand, starting to walk in the direction they had been following the day before.

They walked hand in hand until Ali's mind started to wake up, making her start to walk faster and more alert in front of the alpha. Ashlyn let her take her defensive stance for the time being, using her energy to try and find something to eat.

After an hour walking into the forest they heard water running and smiled as they could finally drink fresh water again and find something to eat. Ali carefully studied their surroundings to make sure it was safe and then they started walking towards the beautiful river.

Ali fell to her knees, using her hands to bring water to her waiting lips and swallowing it eagerly. Ashlyn kneeled next to her and mimicked her movements, drinking the fresh water her body needed.

They stayed there in silence and Ali saw smoke in the distance that indicated a small village down the river. She looked around for signs of people around them but instead found a bush with berries and saw a hare hopping nervously.

"That's our breakfast." Ali said and asked Ashlyn to keep an eye on her as she tried to find something she could use to hunt her. She managed to find a long branch she could use as a spear and used her sword to give it a sharp shape as best as she could. When she was ready she went to find Ashlyn, who was watching the animal from a far.

Ashlyn drew her sword and watched as Ali quietly and patiently walked short careful steps until she was close to the hare. The omega quickly brought her spear down and effectively killed the small animal with a single stroke.

"Yes!" She yelled and grabbed it in her hand, running to Ashlyn with a proud smile. "Look!"

"That's impressive, even for you." Ashlyn said and Ali chuckled, guiding her to the river to clean their prey. 

Ashlyn started the fire with a few dry branches and remembering how Ali had done it before. When she had the fire going she turned to see the omega finishing with the hare, the skin on the side and the meat they would eat on the other.

They sat down and ate quietly, enjoying the calories and proteins from their generous meal. Ali finished eating and went to explore around the area for a bit to see if there were more bushes with berries or if there could be something they could use to eat on the road.

When Ali came back the fire was still burning a few branches but Ashlyn was apparently peeing against a tree. She stared at her for the moment it took her to finish and then saw her go to the water to wash her hands and then her face, looking away with a somber look on her beautiful face.

"I found some nuts and more berries." Ali said looking down as Ashlyn walked back to her.

"Great." She smiled sadly at her and Ali had to contain herself to avoid asking her what was wrong. She leaned down and grabbed some dry little bits of wood they could use later in case they didn't find any firewood on the road and used her boot to put the fire away.

"We should check that village. Maybe we can find a place to stay or some food."

"We don't have any money." Ashlyn reminded her and Ali shook her head.

"I'm a soldier, Ashlyn. I have a few more tricks up my sleeve." She winked and started walking.

"What kind of tricks?"

"I have some gold with me." Ali said softly.

"Oh… smart." Ashlyn smiled. They kept walking and soon she felt the familiar burn of a blister on her foot. She grimaced but kept walking, only stopping when she felt the sharp pain going up her leg.

"What's wrong?" Ali asked, realizing that Ashlyn was dropping behind. "Your feet?"

"Yeah." She groaned and sat down, removing her boot to find an open wound bleeding on her ankle. "Fuck."

"Shit." Ali groaned and kneeled by her feet to give them a look. Ashlyn removed her other boot and Ali saw some blisters starting to form on her skin. "Soft skin." She said playfully and Ashlyn scoffed. "We're a few miles away from the village, can you keep going?"

"I'll try." Ashlyn nodded. "If not you can just go ahead."

"No, that's not an option."

"Really? Because since yesterday you seem too eager to get out of these woods and leave me." She said with unintended bite, making Ali look at her surprised.

"We'll walk a bit more and then we'll camp somewhere near the water." She said ignoring her comment and getting back on her feet. Ashlyn let her walk ahead before she followed her, a boot on each hand and grimacing as she walked barefoot to catch up.

Ali silently played Ashlyn's words in her head over and over again, feeling her chest tightening at the prospect of actually leaving her. She had never been one to be with someone for so long and much less felt the pull she felt towards her before.

She heard her groan and moan in pain with each step and felt her chest hurting for the alpha. She stopped walking by a tall tree a few yards away from the water and asked Ashlyn to wait for her there.

The alpha sat down, feeling her feet throbbing and waited for Ali to come back with firewood. She watched Ali start the fire and then come closer to her, giving a look to her dirty and hurt feet.

"We should keep going."

"No, you need to rest." Ali shook her head. "Can you go get them cleaned up in the water?" She said and Ashlyn nodded, accepting Ali's help to stand in her feet and walking gingerly to the water. She washed her feet and drank some water before walking back to the fire Ali had been working on; she sat down and stared at Ali as she silently worked to keep it going and get stronger.

"Will you leave me? When we get to the village." Ashlyn asked softly and Ali froze for a quick second.

"Try to eat some nuts and berries. I'll go get some water." She said and walked away, leaving the sad alpha behind. Ali sat by the water and felt her omega nature tearing down her walls, making her cry at the prospect of leaving the broken alpha behind.

She washed her face and drank some fresh water before she headed back to their camp, finding the alpha laying on her back and staring blankly at the sky. She sat down a few feet from her, close to the fire, and grabbed some berries to eat while they let the uncomfortable silence grow between them.

"Did you have someone? A mate or a partner." Ashlyn asked and Ali was surprised.

"No, I told you my parents died and I joined the army when I was a kid." She said simply. "I never got the chance to live the omega experience of falling in love and all that because I was fighting for my life."

"So you don't know how it is to love someone?" Ashlyn asked bluntly and Ali didn't reply. Ashlyn sighed and turned on her side so her back was to Ali, who simply stared at the fire before she got up to go find more firewood.

  
  


//

  
  


"How are your feet?" Ali asked as she walked to Ashlyn the next morning. She held a big fish she caught in the river, cleaned by her a few moments before she went back to the alpha. 

"Swollen but I can walk." She said simply. Ali had made sure there was enough firewood for the night so they didn't speak any more during the cold night, and only laid silently as close to the fire as they could to stay warm.

"Good. We should eat this and continue walking; the village doesn't seem to be that far away so we could get there in a day or two."

"The sooner the better." Ashlyn said as she got on her feet and walked towards the river, leaving a stunned omega behind her.

  
  


//

  
  


"I think it's gonna rain." Ali said as they walked for the third hour straight, following the river. She felt the change in the breeze and saw how the sky got darker clouds that announced another storm.

"Great." Ashlyn mumbled and kept walking. She was hurt by Ali's silence and indifference.

"We should find somewhere to stay warm and dry." Ali said ignoring her. She stopped walking and looked around, finding absolutely nothing but trees around them. "We should build a shelter." She said and Ashlyn rolled her eyes, waiting for the instructions that would probably follow.

She knew the omega liked to study a situation and then comment it to herself out loud before solving it and giving instructions Ashlyn had to catch in the air or she would miss them completely. She hated that from her but amused her in an addictive way.

"I'll get started on the shelter and go looking for branches for the structure and something to keep us dry; you can look for firewood and something to eat." She said quickly, immediately walking away and leaving Ashlyn behind.

The alpha walked around onlook for nuts and berries, finding some more of those and taking them with her back to the camp after a good half an hour of collecting as many as she could. She picked some firewood on her way back and was surprised to find Ali was still not back.

She dropped the wood and berries and went looking for the omega, finding her a few yards away cutting off some branches from a tree and piling them up for them to carry back to their camp. Ali looked at Ashlyn and silently asked her to help her carry the wood she found and soon they were both working on their shelter. 

Ali felt a few dropplets of rain on her face and felt the cold breeze blowing past them, making her hurry to finish as soon as they could. She let Ashlyn add leaves and branches to the shelter to make it as waterproof as they could and started working on the fire instead.

When she heard Ashlyn curse and the rain starting to fall she hurried to get the fire going in their mall shelter, realizing that there wasn't much space for them. When the fire was strong and proud, she sat next to Ashlyn who was exhausted next to her, watching her work in silence.

"I found berries." She said and offered her a handful. Ali took them from her and ate them quietly, shivering as they realized that the rain was actually a storm.

They sat side by side for what felt like hours, shivering with the cold wind and relentless rain. Ashlyn curled up in a ball and laid next to the fire while Ali simply sat there looking at the fire.

Ali was thinking about what was next for her after leaving everything she had known behind. She had always been part of the king's army, she had always been a warrior and a stranger among alphas. 

She had learned to fight to survive after her parents died when she was just a child and was determined to succeed, regardless of the cost. She was an omega and that had always been thrown to her face as soon as she dared to do something other than using her sword to conquer lands for a greedy drunk king.

She had fought against her nature whenever an alpha found her and tried to be nice for her, appealing to her primal instincts but nothing more. She was a great warrior and would be considered one of the best had it not been for her heats and lack of literal balls.

She had made the decision to leave, she realizes, long before she even found Ashlyn hiding with that girl. She wasn't happy, she was tired of been used to fight for a warmonger king and wanted something else for herself, even of she refused to settle for being a quiet mate sitting at home caring for an alpha's pups.

She had wanted to leave long before a beautiful stranger offered her the way out, and asked her to escape. Ali had wanted to run away for a long time and Ashlyn had forced her to make that decision right then and there.

She walked miles and miles down the forest, each step taking her to an unknown path for her new life away from everything she knew. No one was giving her orders, she wasn't being looked down for being an omega, she wasn't being doubted because of her nature and she was walking free.

She wanted to get used to it, but she couldn't. She was used to having alphas bothering her, humiliating her and feeling threatened by her until she found Ashlyn. 

She was a broken alpha just like she was a broken omega. Both had a past marked by the pain of losing their parents, and having to find a way to survive. She realized they were very similar, and that after a week of knowing her and of sharing with her the most vulnerable state of her nature, Ashlyn was different.

She allowed her eyes to drift from the burning flames and to the curled up alpha laying next to her. She looked over her body and studied her in silence: her strong arms from carrying the flour from the streets to the bakery where she worked, her delicate hands from working the dough and the other ingredients for the bread. 

Ashlyn was beautiful and was a very different alpha from anything Ali had seen before. She was attentive, gentle, fragile…She was strong in her own way, and she wasn't afraid of showing her weakness in front of the omega.

What surprised Ali the most was how she helped Ali with care and respect, and didn't take advantage of her. Ali admired the strength the alpha had to control her alpha instincts to fuck an omega in her heat until they were both exhausted.

Ali looked away at the rain and wondered if she made the right decision when she told her they should leave, when she assumed the best way to protect Ashlyn was hurting her in the way she was doing. She had never felt something for someone in that way, and wondered if it was just her omega nature screaming for her to follow the path she had in front of her: becoming someone's mate.

She then realized that her heat was long gone and that she still felt that way about the alpha; she cared for Ashlyn and worried when she was hurting and sad as she was at the moment. The alpha couldn't understand why Ali had changed so suddenly, from being a fragile omega to a wannabe alpha in a matter of a few hours while they rested in each other's arms.

Ali knew Ashlyn was right about being hurt and confused, but so was she. She wasn't used to dealing with her emotions, she was just a warrior.

Ashlyn turned on her back and looked up at Ali who was shivering, and without thinking she opened her arms for her in a welcoming way that may Ali's heart flutter.brhe omega thought about resisting the urge to join her but her body moved faster than her mind and soon she was laying her head on Ashlyn's chest, arms securely wrapped around the other to share the warmth from the fire.

Ashlyn gently kissed Ali's hair and Ali smiled at herself.

She didn't want to just be someone's mate, she wasn't used to dealing with emotions or being taken care of. She would have to discuss her confusion with Ashlyn, deal with their emotions and allow her to show her what a life with her would be… but all of that had to happen before their new normal was affected by them reaching the village, because she felt like there she would have to make a decision between Ashlyn and her own idea of an independent life.

  
  


//

  
  


"I'm hungry." Ali sighed and Ashlyn held her tightly. "I'm tired of those stupid berries."

"That's all we have." Ashlyn said softly, caressing Ali's hair. "If we were back home, I would bake you something nice and delicious… I could use the same berries in my grandfather's special recipe with a soft spongy bread with some butter… you would love it."

"I would go out and hunt something for dinner." Ali chuckled, remembering the endless days at camp before a battle when she would go with others to hunt a deer or any other animal they could find to prepare a hot stew for their hungry stomachs.

"Dream team." Ashlyn chuckled. 

"Did you have sex with many girls back in your village?" 

"What? No. Well, sometimes." She chuckled. "When I was younger I was the only alpha in my group of friends so we fooled around quite a bit… we would run away on school days, have a picnic in the forest and sometimes we would drink some wine or beer…"

"Wow, you have quite the experience there." Ali said amused and Ashlyn laughed.

"We didn't really fuck that much, it was mostly me with my hand on them and their mouths on me. I only really had sex with two girls but they came later to the village, running from war."

"Oh…" 

"What about you? Beautiful omega in a camp with sweaty muscled alphas…"

"Alphas that I had to keep at a sword's length or they wouldn't respect me." Ali said amused. She liked how even though Ashlyn was upset and hurt they could still talk and be at ease like that.

"Good point…But how did it work with your heat?"

"When it first started presenting I would actually ask a friend of mine, an alpha, to fuck me and get it out of the way. He always helped even of he was rougher than you." Ali said with a small smile.

"So you had a boyfriend?"

"No! What? No." She laughed. "He just helped me with it and when we were done, he would just be another soldier out there… when he got killed in battle I had to find other alternatives and started paying alphas in villages to get it out of the way."

"Wow… that's…"

"Nature for some." Ali said with a bit of bite.

"I'm not judging you." 

"I'm tired." Ali sighed and Ashlyn nodded and kissed her hair, understanding the message that Ali wanted to rest.

  
  


//

  
  


"I can't believe it's still raining." Ashlyn groaned a few hours later. It was dark and they were cold and hungry.

"I'm exhausted and we didn't even do that much." Ali whined too, sitting up and exhaling loudly. Ashlyn smiled at her and went to sit by her. "I'm cold."

"We would be better in the pond." Ashlyn said mockingly and Ali groaned, knowing she was right.

"I'm sorry about that… and about the past few days." She sighed and Ashlyn looked at her confused.

"What?"

"We were… doing good in the pond and then I just… I got scared and I didn't think what I would like to do and instead I dragged us out of our shelter and into the wild again…"

"You don't have to worry about that." Ashlyn sighed, gently moving a hand to Ali's, and smiling when the omega accepted the gesture, scooting closer to her and closing her eyes.

"I don't know how I be an omega… I've never been in a relationship and I don't know how to be in one." Ali said after a long moment in silence. "I don't want to hurt you or hurt myself when I realize I'm not gonna be able to stay with you."

"Thank you for being honest." Ashlyn whispered, holding her close. After a few minutes of them thinking, Ali looked up at her and cupped her face with her hand, rougher and calloused from years of battle and training with swords and weapons.

"I really like you, alpha." She confessed softly. "I've never felt this pull towards someone in the way I feel when I'm with you… ever since I met you that day."

"I like you too." Ashlyn said with a small smile. "I admire your strength and your courage to be a badass warrior… you saved me and I've seen how amazing you are. I respect you."

"That's it? You don't feel something else for me?"

"I do, that's why I was so surprised when you just acted like your heat didn't happen and made us leave like that." Ashlyn sighed. "I don't want to be a burden for you but I want to… be able to kiss you whenever I want and have sex with you and see you for who you are."

"Alpha…" Ali said in a whisper. She had never heard someone tell her such sweet words with so much meaning before, and it made her nervous. Her omega nature, though, won the battle against her better judgement, her calculations and her mind, making her mean forward to kiss the alpha slowly, without a rush.

Ashlyn helped her move to sit on her lap, straddling her, and held her close as they kissed. Their arms held the other as close as humanly possible, their breaths ragged and their bodies ached for more.

They kissed and stayed warm like that until Ali felt the exhaustion of her emotional effort dragging her until she fell asleep with her nose buried in the crook of Ashlyn's neck. The alpha caressed her softly and smiled as she felt the omega resting peacefully, chuckling when she would wake up after a few minutes and leaned to kiss her again.

"Let's go a day at the time… okay?" Ashlyn asked and Ali nodded, capturing her lips in another deep kiss.


	10. Reunited

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update!
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy this one! I hope to get another one out this week and/or for the other story. I also got a plan for a quick one shot so we'll see how it plays out
> 
> Don't forget to comment, pretty please! ♥️ I love reading your ideas, doubts and talking to you all!

They walked in silence after they started the day, waking up in the other's arms and kissing lazily while the sun slowly warmed everything around them. Ali tried to walk ahead as usual and Ashlyn let her, even though she occasionally caught up with her and wrapped her arms around the smiling omega, making her walk and hold her hand before Ashlyn decided she could be free and walk ahead again.

The alpha smiled whenever Ali seemed to turn worriedly to check on her and ask her how her feet were, rewarding her with long kisses against old trees. Ali felt something she never had before, warmth in her soul knowing that she had someone to lean on and look out for her.

They decided to take things one day at the time and she agreed to feel everything she could for as long as they could. They were alone in the woods so everything could feel more intense and different, and Ali wanted to embrace that before they reached a village or found other people.

"I'm hungry." Ashlyn whined and Ali giggled, turning around and waiting until Ashlyn caught up with her.

"I can think of something you could eat." She said playfully and Ashlyn looked at her with a smirk.

"Oh really? And what is it?"

"Berries." Ali giggled, kissing her gently. She felt at ease with the alpha, her arms around her and her hands caressing her body.

"Tease."

"Whatever." Ali giggled and pulled her so they walked together towards the river again. Ali studied their surroundings and took off her clothes, getting in the water while Ashlyn stared at her.

"What are you doing?"

"I want to freshen up and then I'll try and fish something for lunch. The sun is too hot and I'm sweating like crazy." 

"Your heat?"

"You wish." Ali laughed and Ashlyn took off her clothes and joined her, washing herself and freshening up. Ali stole glances and Ashlyn chuckled when she stared while she washed her penis and balls.

"Want some of this?" She asked playfully and jumped in surprise when Ali immediately walked to her and fell to her knees, wrapping her lips around her thick shaft. "Oh… okay… that's- you wanted some of this." She laughed and Ali giggled, sucking on the soft shaft. 

Ashlyn guided Ali's head gently, moving her hips slowly to meet her movements and enjoying the slow blowjob. Since Ali wasn't desperate and in her heat, she was being more careful with her teeth and hand movements, moving slowly and enjoying the pleasure she was giving.

The alpha closed her eyes and allowed Ali to continue her ministrations, bringing her to a firm and throbbing erection that she licked and kissed all over. The omega used lips, teeth and tongue to keep Ashlyn on her toes, a gentle hand fondling her balls while the alpha moved her hips to fuck Ali's mouth.

"I'm coming…" she said and Ali smiled, kissing the tip and moving her hand faster on her while her cheeks hollowed and lips sucked on her tip, tasting precum. Ali's hands felt how Ashlyn's balls quickly contracted and then she felt a warm rope of cum on her tongue. "Oh hell…" Ashlyn sighed, looking down at Ali and caressing her hair while Ali licked her clean.

"Did you like it?" Ali asked with reddened lips kissing the glistening tip. Ashlyn nodded and Ali giggled before turning away and getting dressed. Ashlyn simply stared at her and followed with her eyes as she fished their dinner. "Are you gonna stand there all day?" Ali asked her, cheekily smirking when she saw Ashlyn was still hard.

The alpha drank some water and got dressed, her erection clearly pressing against the front of her slacks, and followed Ali. The omega was starting a small fire and cleaning the fish, allowing Ashlyn to recover from the clearly impactful blowjob she received.

The alpha sat down against a tree, groaning when she felt her erection rubbing against the fabric of her slacks. Ali giggled and continued working on their dinner, watching as Ashlyn's hand unconsciously caressed her bulge.

The omega put the fish on two sticks over the fire, allowing it to cook slowly without getting burnt. She then turned to see the alpha staring at her with hungry eyes, a hand squeezing her own bulge.

"Get it out and I'll help." She said and moved closer to Ashlyn, who looked at her surprised.

"No, no…It'll go away in a bit." She said, realizing what her hand was doing and moving it to the side. She saw how Ali smiled at her and then got between her legs, kneeling down and moving her hands to her bulge. "It'll go away, really… I think if you give me another it'll only make things worse." She said honestly, swallowing hard when she felt Ali caressing her firmly over her pants.

"I want to." 

"Make it worse?"

"Give you another." Ali said simply, a hand going under the waistband of Ashlyn's pants and guiding her throbbing erection out of the tight confinement, leaning down and wrapping her lips around the fat cock.

"Oh fuck… Ali…" 

"Shut up and enjoy." Ali chuckled as she sucked on the erection and pulled the tight balls out of her pants as well. She moved her hands to Ashlyn's breasts and squeezed them hard, making her moan and her dick twitch.

After only a few strokes of her warm mouth, Ali heard Ashlyn whimper lowly and felt her balls getting increasingly tighter until she came with a shudder, cum leaking into her mouth. She moaned and stopped working on her with her mouth, looking up at Ashlyn with a smirk. 

"That was fast." She giggled, gently licking the underside of the thick shaft and giggling when Ashlyn pulled her closer for a long deep kiss.

"Shut up." Ashlyn giggled and Ali straddled her lap, feeling herself getting wet when Ashlyn kissed her slowly and pushed her hips up a little so her erection was trapped between Ali's legs. "Do you think that maybe we could stay here for the rest of the day?" She asked hotly as she kissed Ali.

"And do what? Fuck?" She asked and pulled away from the alpha, smirking.

"Well… yes." Ashlyn said amused, moaning when Ali moved her hand to her cock and wrapped it tightly around it, moving slowly from the base to the tip.

"How can you still be hard? You came twice." Ali said surprised and Ashlyn chuckled.

"You turn me on." She shrugged. "Don't laugh when I cum again… because it'll be at any moment now." She said sincerely and Ali giggled, masturbating her a bit faster until Ashlyn growled and came hard, cum spurting from her cock and landing on Ali's shirt.

"You're welcome." Ali said with a wink, kissing her briefly and chuckling when Ashlyn squeezed her ass hard. "Let's eat something; we have to walk more if we want to reach the village tonight… unless you want to sleep in the wild again." She said and moved away from the horny alpha who stayed put while Ali checked on the fish and went to the river to wash her shirt.

When she came back she saw Ashlyn standing up and trying to stuff herself in her pants with a still raging erection. Ali wondered if maybe they had triggered Ashlyn's rut, but the alpha didn't seem to be sweating or being aggressive which were the usual signs.

"I told you you would make it worse." She said and Ali giggled, gesturing for her to jerk herself off. "Not in front of you." She said almost offended, making Ali laugh.

The omega sat next to her and they ate enjoying the other's company, smiling again at how easy things were between them when one of them wasn't trying to push the other away. Ali put out the fire and they started walking again, following the river in direction to the smoke from the village. 

After a few hours walking, Ali heard steps that weren't hers or Ashlyn's, and stayed alert as they walked, her hand ready to draw out her sword. Ashlyn talked about the types of bread her grandfather had taught her to make and Ali smiled at her love for the homey side of life.

When Ashlyn made a pause, noticing how quiet Ali was all of a sudden, the omega made her a sign to be ready to get her sword, making her feel ice down her spine. The alpha felt her hands getting clammy, her heart beating faster and her ears pounding with blood and adrenaline.

Ali looked around and saw a man hiding behind a tree, making her feel uneasy. She didn't know if they were soldiers going after her or bandits who lived in the woods ready to steal lives and whatever they could from those who were unaware of their existence.

They walked in silence and then Ali heard footsteps approaching them from the side that were growing louder as they got closer. She drew out her sword and turned around just as a large male yelled at her and charged at them with a sword, other two running at them as well.

Ali easily defended herself from the first man, her trained arm giving a quick move that allowed her sword to cut open his gut, killing him instantly. She then turned when she heard Ashlyn's sword clashing against another, a frustrated groan coming from her alpha companion. 

The omega charged at the second male, pushing him away from herself and engaging in a quick sword fight that ended with him having Ali's sword piercing through his belly, hot blood filling his mouth as he died. Ali heard Ashlyn gasp and cry out in pain, hearing her sword fall to the ground and turning right as the last bandit liked Ashlyn to the cold ground and raised her sword to give her the last stockade.

Ali charged at the bandit, landing on top of him and making him lose his sword. She quickly got up to get to hers and saw the man draw out a knife from his boot and charge menacingly at her.

The omega avoided two strikes from the skilled fighter, having to take a few steps back to avoid the blade. She used her sword aggressively until she got a good cut on the right arm of their attacker, blood immediately staining his shirt.

She saw how he tried to charge at her and took a step to the side, letting him fall to the ground; the omega casted a quick glance and saw Ashlyn sitting up, a hand on her shoulder trying to stop the bleeding from a fresh wound. Ali then focused again on the bandit and saw him get to one of his fallen friend's sword, getting a hold of it and getting back on his feet.

Ali took a defensive stance and studied the man in front of her, allowing the many years of training and battles take over. She blocked every thought in her mind, the view of Ashlyn bleeding and the fear of the men not being alone and then again engaged in a short battle with the man that was a bit more skilled than the previous two.

She noticed he was favoring his right leg and in a quick move made him lose his balance long enough for her to be able to make a deep cut on his thigh, causing him to fall on his knees. The omega quickly used her sword to take his life, sparing him of any suffering, and quickly made sure the other two were also dead before running to check on the alpha.

"What happened?! Where did he hurt you?!" She asked and removed the alpha's hand from her shoulder.

"I wasn't that quick." She grimaced when Ali moved the fabric of her bloody shirt to Shee the wound. The sharp sword had cut open a five inch wound on the soft spot between her shoulder and her collarbone, above her breast and her heart; the wound wasn't very deep but it was in a dangerous spot and had the man been luckier and Ashlyn slower, she would be dead.

"Shit… we need to keep moving."

"I can do that." Ashlyn said and saw Ali trying to clean up her wound with her shirt before tearing the sleeve from it, tying it around her neck to help her keep the arm immobilized.

"Try not to move it… we'll try to get to the village today or camp as far from here as we can… I don't like this." She said pointing at the men.

"Me either. You're a badass." Ashlyn said with a dreamy smile. "If I was hard before this… it won't go down now." She joked and Ali laughed, taking a quick glance and realized that the front of Ashlyn's pants was bulging.

"Well you won't be doing anything for a while." She chuckled and Ashlyn grimaced, noticing how her shoulder kept bleeding. 

"We gotta hurry, Ash. Come on." Ali said and helped her up, handing the alpha her the sword and getting hers too.

"Shouldn't we check if they have something we could use?" Ashlyn said with a knot in her throat as soon as she saw all the blood.

"Hey you're kinda smart too." Ali giggled, going to check on the men. 

"Well I'm just trying to keep up with you." She said amused. "I don't want to be the useless alpha all the time."

"Well, you're certainly improving." Ali smiled.

The omega took the long coats the men wore, thinking that it would help if they had to spend more time out in the woods, took some gold they had in their pockets and the knives one of them used. She took a look at the boots and checked if Ashlyn could wear them even though the alpha refused to wear a dead man's shoes. 

They walked a few minutes before Ashlyn stopped and threw up against a tree, the memory of the blood and the sound the men made as they died haunting her. Ali rolled her eyes and waited for her to be ready before they started walking again.

The omega calculated they were closer to the village as she saw more signs of movement on the dirt: horseshoe and boot tracks that seemed recent. Ashlyn moaned in pain, feeling her shoulder throbbing as it still bled; Ali noticed it was getting dark and debated whether if camping out in the open was a good decision or if they should keep walking through the night.

She looked at the pale alpha and stopped walking, looking for a spot to camp for the night. She helped Ashlyn sit against a tree and went looking for firewood, starting a fire close to her and checking on her wound while there was still some light.

"I hope you don't get a fever." She said and Ashlyn grimaced, Ali's cold fingers gently touching the skin around the wound and noticing that it wasn't looking as bad as she feared. 

"Don't leave me behind." Ashlyn said and Ali smiled, kissing her slowly for a bit until the alpha tried to pull her closer to sit on her lap and felt the sting of the wound.

"Try to rest for a bit… we don't have any food but we're closer to the village." She smiled and Ashlyn nodded as Ali dressed the wound with a piece of clean fabric. 

She sat next to Ashlyn on her good side and rested her head on the alpha's shoulder. The alpha gently put her arm around the omega's shoulders, keeping her close while she covered their legs with the coats they took from the bandits.

Ali smiled and fell asleep when she felt that the alpha was relaxed and sleeping peacefully. She felt safe and yet she was alert and ready to protect herself and Ashlyn if needed.

//

"How are you feeling?" Ali asked her the next morning when she saw Ashlyn opening her eyes.

"Tired." She grimaced trying to move her arm. "Hurt." She chuckled and Ali rolled her eyes, going to tend on her wound.

"It looks swollen and the edges are a bit red but it's looking good so far. Let's get going so we can get you some help… we'll stop in the river to wash these and clean the wound." Ali said and got up, helping her get on her feet.

They walked slowly to keep up with Ashlyn without tiring her too much since she was hurt and lost some blood, was in pain and wasn't used to that. They got to the river and Ali took the pieces of cloth to wash them while Ashlyn drank some water; the omega cleaned the wound and then helped immobilize her arm again as they got back on the road.

After a few hours they smelled smoke in the air and saw many more tracks on the ground, realizing that they were closer to the village. After half an hour more, they saw people sitting around a fire, but it didn't look like it was a village at all.

They walked slowly and a few people looked up at them, coughing and pale. Ali held Ashlyn's hand as she saw some children playing in a corner and realized that they were probably running away from war like them too.

"Ash? Ashlyn?!" A woman yelled, making them stop and look around. "Oh my God! I can't believe it's you!" The woman yelled and suddenly the whole camp was looking at them, some whispering and others going to greet the alpha.

"Ashlyn!" Another woman yelled and came out of seemingly nowhere, jumping into her arms and making Ashlyn groan. "I thought you stayed behind!" 

"My wound." Ashlyn managed to groan and the woman kissed her hair and got off her. 

"Ashlyn is back, people!" The woman yelled and Ashlyn laughed as friends and people she knew got around her. There were around 50 people around the camp, without counting the children.

"Shut up, Pinoe." Ashlyn laughed at her friend.

"Whatever. You have many explanations to give me." She said and pulled her towards the fire where her things were. Ali quietly followed them, all eyes on her. The rest of the camp went back to their business, stopping to greet Ashlyn with a smile and a pat on her shoulder.

"Sit here." Megan said and Ashlyn did as told. "Want a drink?" She said and handed her a bottle of a strong liquor; Ashlyn took a long gulp and handed the bottle to Ali, who took a small sip and coughed as it was stronger than she expected. "Should've warned her." She chuckled and Ashlyn giggled.

"Oh she's Ali… this is Pinoe, my friend." Ashlyn said smiling, pulling Ali closer with a hand on her waist.

"Hi." Ali said dryly, looking around at the fires and groups of people trying to stay warm. There were a few horses and packages of what Ali assumed was food.

"Where did you find her?" Pinoe asked softly.

"We met in the woods…She was running too." She lied and Ali looked at her confused for a second, understanding right away that Ashlyn's friends wouldn't approve of her bringing an enemy to their camp. "We've been through a lot since then."

"Oh… I see." Pinoe said suspicious. She then took a look at Ashlyn's wound and grimaced. "And when did you get that."

"Yesterday…Some bandits or some shit." She said and Ali immediately kneeled in front of her to check on the wound. "How is it?"

"It's a bit warm but we won't be walking so you can get some rest. It doesn't look infected." Ali said simply, grabbing the bottle back from Megan and getting a piece of cloth wet with it before pressing it to the wound, making Ashlyn growl and hiss in pain. "Sorry." She chuckled and cleaned the wound until she was satisfied.

"Here… We don't have much to eat but you need it." She smiled and handed her a piece of moldy bread and a glass of water.

"Thank you." Ashlyn nodded, looking around and smiling when she saw the horse she gave her friend looking healthy. "How was he?"

"A pain in the ass like you, but we made it this far." Megan smiled. "We would've kept going but Harold's cart is broken and we can't just leave his grandpa behind." She explained, pointing at the older man sitting by a fire with some omegas.

They ate quietly while Ali walked around the camp trying to see how bad things were. She then walked out into the woods with some alphas including Megan, the plan of finding something to eat being clear in her mind.

They were a bit far away from the river and going back wasn't a good idea knowing that some bandits were out and about; she didn't want to leave Ashlyn either, so she was willing to walk a certain distance before going back. One of the alphas had a bow and some old arrows, but didn't know how to use them since they were his son's, so Ali insisted on being the one to use them in case they found deer or anything else they could hunt.

Ashlyn sat quietly by the fire covered with the coats of the men Ali killed and sipping Pinoe's liquor until she fell asleep. When she woke up she felt Ali sitting next to her and smelled meat being cooked in a nearby fire.

"You made it." She said softly and Ali turned to smile at her.

"We found a deer less than half a mile from here." She explained. "Megan and Harold are cooking it and will make sure everyone gets some food in their belly tonight." She said and Ashlyn pulled her close, a hand on Ali's shoulders. 

The omega stiffened a bit until Ashlyn kissed her hair gently. She smiled and leaned against the alpha, an arm around her waist and enjoying the warmth radiating from her.

"You're safe here… you don't have to push me away; they all respect and value you for what you did. No one is judging." Ashlyn reminded her and Ali looked up at her, kissing her slowly for a moment, wishing they were still in the forest where she could give into her desires and show Ashlyn how much her words meant.

The next morning they woke up laying next to the fire, Ashlyn's arms wrapped tightly around Ali while she rested her head on Ashlyn's good shoulder. The alpha caressed Ali's arm and hair with gentle warmth, enjoying when Ali scooted even closer to her.

"How's your shoulder?" Ali asked groggily.

"It throbs but I'm fine." She said softly. 

"I'll get some water and clean it up." 

"Stay here." Ashlyn said stopping her when Ali tried to sit up. Ali almost fell half on top of her, using her hand to stop herself from falling too hard on hard in her and hurting her.

"Hey… someone's awake." Ali smirked, feeling the pressure of Ashlyn's morning erection against her hip.

"Stay here for a bit." Ashlyn insisted, a slight smirk on her lips, pushing up against Ali.

"Alpha… don't tease." She giggled, leaning to kiss her briefly. She pulled away and looked around, noticing that most, if not all, people were still sleeping, including Megan who was a few feet away from them.

"Don't make me tease, then…" she whispered and Ali moved her hand to the bulge, squeezing gently. "That's what I'm talking about." She giggled and leaned to kiss Ali slowly while the omega squeezed her over her pants, massaging her rapidly hardening shaft until she had a firm erection. 

"I wish we were all alone." Ali giggled, moving her hand under the waistband of her slacks and grabbing her cock firmly, giving her a slow handjob until she came, sighing into their kiss. Ali's hand gave a quick playful squeeze to her balls, making her giggle and kiss her lips with a smile. "Can I go get something to clean your wound."

"Why?" Ashlyn pouted and Ali laughed, going to find some water and something to eat for herself and for Ashlyn. She chuckled as she served some stew on a plate and then walked back to camp like a delicate omega caring for her mate.

That word that scared her but made her smile when thinking of Ashlyn. She walked back and smiled when she saw Ashlyn sitting against a tree and talking to Megan, grimacing as she removed the cloth from her wound to let it breathe while Ali went back.

Megan smiled when Ali handed Ashlyn the plate and kneeled in front of her, using some water to wash the wound and remove any dried blood or signs of infection that could've presented overnight. She noticed that it wasn't as red as the day prior and then wrapped it up as best as she could, immobilizing her arm again.

"You know how to fix broken alphas, huh?" Megan asked with a teasing smile. 

"Kind of." Ali chuckled, knowing just how true it was. She had been helping her fellow soldiers after battles for many years, making her an expert on how to fix the ugliest and scariest wounds. 

"And how did you guys escape from the bandits? They got to Ash but you're intact."

"My dad was a blacksmith and he worked for an alpha who trained soldiers for the king." Ali said simply. "He taught me how to use a sword and how to fight…" she shrugged and Pinoe looked at her impressed.

"Well, you got yourself an omega to save your life." She said to Ashlyn who shrugged and looked at Ali with a smile.

"You're just jealous." 

"Whatever… is there any more stew left or that's the last of it?" She asked Ali.

"There's some more." She nodded, taking the plate from Ashlyn and noticing that she left her a bite.

"Thank you." The alpha said and Ali smiled, looking around before quickly kissing the corner of the alpha's mouth. "Give me a real one." Ashlyn said chuckling and Ali shook her head.

"Let me get used to being in camp with people who won't judge me because I kissed you, okay?" She said with a playful tone but Ashlyn knew she was being honest.

The alpha smiled and squeezed Ali's thigh gently, offering some support. The omega smiled at her and sat close to her, chuckling when Megan came back with more stew and offered her some more, sitting next to Ali and making her laugh with stories of Ashlyn running around the woods with omegas and stories from the shop.

Ali felt comfortable with the alphas, knowing she didn't have to be alert and ready to defend herself, but at the same time she felt uneasy. She was trained to be a warrior, a soldier, and there she was just a helpless omega, sitting by her alpha and looking after her.

She didn't like it. She sipped her water and looked down, uncomfortable and debating on what to do.


	11. Lonely

“What’s going on?” Ashlyn asked her by dawn, when they were sitting down by the fire after Ali returned from a successful fishing trip with some others from the improvised camp.

“Nothing…” she replied uneasily. It had been clear to Ashlyn that she was uncomfortable with so many strangers, and with being looked down by the alphas in camp even though she was clearly a skilled asset for them. “I’m fine.”

“Want to talk? Did something happen?” Ashlyn insisted and Ali looked away. Ashlyn had been annoyingly attentive, almost as if being surrounded by people she knew had made her retake her role as the alpha. It aggravated Ali to no end.

“I said I’m fine.” Ali replied harshly, getting on her feet and walking into the woods knowing that Ashlyn wouldn’t follow her there. After a few minutes walking in the dark she went back to the camp and sat by Ashlyn, who looked at her and then visibly struggled to not ask her if she was doing okay.

Ali scooted closer to the alpha, resting her head on Ashlyn’s good shoulder. She wanted to fight her own nature and pretend she didn’t feel a strong attraction for Ashlyn, but she was lying to herself. 

Ashlyn’s arms around her kept her sane, even if she knew it was suicide to stat still for so long with an army behind them. She allowed herself to lean onto the alpha who didn’t judge her and even appreciated and respected her for being a strong omega out of her simplistic nature.

“I think we should go as soon as possible. They will keep moving and we’re on their path.” Ali whispered after a few minutes.

“How do you know that?”

“They will see smoke in the same way that we did.” Ali said simply. “If we don’t go they could catch up on us and kill us…”

“that if they came down in this direction.” Ashlyn said and Ali nodded. 

“Yes, but we have no way to know where they are or what direction they wanted to follow.” Ali sighed, smiling internally but keeping her face stoic when Ashlyn adjusted her position until Ali was sitting between her legs, leaning against Ashlyn’s torso. “They wanted to go to the East, meet with the rest of the troops and head down to the Great Barrier… If they went with that, we could be okay, but...”

“You think we’re not safe?”

“I think they could’ve sent someone out for me.” 

“Why would they even do that?”

“Because they don’t let soldiers walk away from them.” Ali sighed and smiled when Ashlyn kissed her neck gently.

"They would've caught up with us by now, no?"

"Yes, but they could've been looking somewhere else and found our tracks."

"They don't know you're with me." Ashlyn said. "Or that I'm with you, actually." She shrugged.

"That's true." Ali sighed. She had a headache that wouldn't go away, her instincts battling with her feelings in a way she wasn't used to feeling.

“I miss you.” Ashlyn whispered after a moment, leaning to kiss her jaw, and the omega chuckled and looked up at her amused.

“I’m right here.” she said and Ashlyn pouted.

“Not the same.”

“Well, that’s too bad.” she chuckled and leaned to kiss her slowly for a second. “Maybe tonight you’ll get some action when everyone’s asleep.” she whispered against her lips, smiling when she felt the alpha trying to deepen the kiss. "But not right now." She said amused, pecking her lips.

//

"Ash… wake up…" Ali said quietly during the night. "Ash…"

"What?" Ashlyn asked softly.

"Shhh… there's someone watching us." Ali whispered. "Don't move… just pay attention and listen." She said softly and Ashlyn closed her eyes again, listening to the sounds of the woods.

"I can't hear anything." She said and yawned.

"There's footsteps."

"Probably the horses."

"Ashlyn, it's a person. Try to listen carefully." Ali whispered annoyed.  
"It's nothing, Ali… just try to sleep." She said and yawned. "Go back to sleep omega." She said smiling sleepily, pulling all closer.

Ali frowned in anger at not being taken seriously and being asked to go back to sleep like an obedient alpha. She fought the urgency to tell at Ashlyn but instead kept listening, a hand on her sword ready to defend herself.

After a few minutes one of the alphas from the group walked back into the camp and snuggled with his family. Ali realized that he must've been who she heard a moment earlier, but the light snores coming from Ashlyn made her feel angry enough to not catch much sleep until the morning when it was cold and the alpha cuddled into her looking for warmth.

//

"Morning…" Ashlyn smiled against the back of Ali's neck, feeling the warmth from the sun starting to shine through the trees. She tried to get closer and wrap her arms around the omega, mindful of her wound.

"Morning." Ali replied simply, resisting the urge to get closer.

"Wanna go to the woods for a bit?" She asked and Ali smiled and then her smile vanished when she remembered how Ashlyn had easily dismissed her concerns the night prior.

"Would love to but I have to go hunting with the alphas." Ali said and got on her feet, kicking Megan awake on her way to grabbing something to eat before leaving.

"What's wrong with her?" Megan groaned.

"Don't know. Bad mood." Ashlyn shrugged. 

"How did you find her?" Megan yawned.

"I was running away… before the soldiers got to the village, and I found her near the river." She lied. "She protected me and we've helped each other until we got here."

"And uhm… how did you become so close so fast?" She smirked and wagged her brows.

"Oh well… she uhm… don't tell her I told you but she found my charms absolutely irresistible."

"Oh for sure." She laughed. "Did you give her the tree treatment like you did with Henry's daughter?" She asked referencing the times Ashlyn ran away in the middle of the day when her grandfather needed her at his shop and she was having sex against a tree with her girlfriend of the day.

"Not yet but we've been close." She said with a smirk. "Had to keep warm in the wild." She said and Megan chuckled.

"You don't change." 

"Never." 

//

"Hey you…" Ashlyn asked a few hours later when she found Ali sitting alone by a fire, cleaning her sword.

"Hey." 

"Haven't seen you today." 

"I've been busy." Ali shrugged. 

"Too busy to even go and say hi?" Ashlyn chuckled.

"We found deer, had to kill them and clean them, get the meat ready so it doesn't rot… then the obedient omegas prepared some stew." Ali said with bite, getting on her feet.

"Ali, are you okay or is there something wrong…" Ashlyn frowned.

"No, I'm just being a good omega staying here." She replied with sass.

"What are you… what's going on?" Ashlyn asked annoyed, grabbing Ali's arm and flinching when Ali released it almost violently, walking to the woods and away from the others that could hear them. "Ali!" Ashlyn said as she went after her. "What happened?" Ashlyn said annoyed, her alpha nature making her take a firm voice.

"Oh you're gonna yell at me now?" She said with a frown, but still recoiling like an omega would do in front of an alpha. Ali hated the way in which her nature controlled her, how it made her weak even against her will.

"I'm not- I'm not yelling." She said and sighed, taking a step closer to Ali. 

"What do you want?" Ali sighed and Ashlyn cupped her face even as Ali tried to fight her and tried to pull away.

"I want to talk, come on… what's bothering you?" Ashlyn asked and leaned to kiss her gently.

"I hated the way you dismissed me last night…"

"What? When?"

"You don't even remember!" Ali laughed, pulling away. 

"Last night? We just stayed up until Pinoe fell asleep all drunk and -"

"And I woke you up hours later telling you that there was someone walking around the camp." Ali said and Ashlyn's blank expression told her she didn't remember. "You just told me 'go to sleep omega'."

"That?! Is that why you're so upset?" Ashlyn scoffed.

"Yes! You just didn't even pay attention to what I was saying, Ashlyn, and all that why? Because I'm just an omega?"

"No, Ali, no!" Ashlyn shook her head. "You know I don't judge you because you're an omega and I wouldn't even dismiss what you're saying because of it." She said and reached to hold Ali's hands. "You know I respect you and value you and your opinion. You're a good warrior and everything..." she smirked.

"Why didn't you listen to me, then?"

"I was drunk and sleepy." Ashlyn said with a shrug. "Could you please forgive me?" 

"It will happen again, Ash..." Ali sighed. "You're an alpha, and that's what you'll always act -"

"I'm a broken alpha, remember." She grinned. "Next time it happens, just kick me in the balls and I'll learn my lesson." She sand and Ali chuckled, feeling her resolve going down. She looked up at Ashlyn and allowed her to lean down and kiss her slowly, backing her up against a tree.

"You won't get your way with me against a tree ." Ali giggled against her lips.

"Why not?" Ashlyn asked, kissing Ali's neck slowly, her hands going to the omega's ass and pulling her close, thumbs massaging her hipbones.

"Because… no." Ali said simply, biting her lips when Ashlyn's hand guided her hand and positioned it on her bulge. "Not here." She exhaled and pushed Ashlyn with her right hand, leaving her left on the bulge. 

"Boring." Ashlyn smirked.

"You can't say I'm boring." Ali laughed, wrapping her arms around her neck and leaning to kiss her slowly. "Come on… we found some berries and I saved a stash for you." She giggled and kissed her again, pulling her back to camp.

They went to get some stew and sat with some of Ashlyn's friends, laughing at the stories they shared. After a while Ashlyn took Ali to see her horse, the only thing other than the memories her parents had left her, and spent there a little bit on their own. 

They walked around camp, stopping to kiss against a few trees and sitting down against one to watch how it got darker around them, imagining a beautiful sunset. Ashlyn gently kissed Ali and the omega smiled at the alpha's attention, even giving into the alpha's desires and giving her a very quick hand job before they walked back to camp in time for dinner.

While Ali laid down next to Ashlyn that night she felt that maybe they could go through all that and be happy. She still felt the screaming instinct telling her to leave and be free for once in her life, even if it meant leaving Ashlyn behind.

Ali leaned to kiss the alpha, who smiled and held her close to keep her safe in a way. Ali decided to try and relax for as long as her nature allowed her to control years of training that taught her how to be independent and look after herself.

//

A few days later they had almost found a routine that made things easier for Ali. She would wake up early and would lead a few alphas to hunt or fish for the camp, feeling useful when they all leaned on her for that survival aspect, but then feeling neglected when they got back and she was relegated to being an omega that should sit by Ashlyn's side.

She felt exhausted dealing with her internal battle and without counting on anyone else for support. Ashlyn sensed Ali's discomfort and tried to keep her busy, asking her for hunting tips and taking her to the woods for a bit of alone time and away from everyone, even getting her way and fucking her slowly one afternoon, loving how Ali's body felt against her and how good it was to be inside of her.

One day after a long hunting trip Ali came back exhausted and covered in deer blood, but she was completely disregarded as part of the hunting group by the others. Ashlyn tried to cheer her up by taking her to the river to get cleaned up, and then giving her a few orgasms before going back, feeling insecure but still supported by the alpha, which made her feel like a vulnerable omega again.

After a long night talking with Megan and laughing at more stories they told about Ashlyn's teenage days and then when she took over her grandfather's business. Ali sipped some of Megan's liquor, careful not to get too drunk as she wanted to be alert, and stayed by Ashlyn's side all the time, letting her steal a few kisses and hugs every now and then.

After a long while, when those with kids started complaining about the noise, they went to sleep. Ali checked on Ashlyn's wound and gently laid her head on the alpha's good shoulder, a hand wrapped around her waist.

After a long while Ali woke up when she heard a branch breaking near them. She immediately tried to wake Ashlyn up, who simply mumbled that she should try to sleep instead of paying attention to her.

Ali groaned frustrated and paid attention to see if she heard anything else, almost jumping out of her own skin when she heard footsteps approaching and saw silhouettes walking to the camp. Her hand had a firm grip on her sword and then she relaxed when she realized that it was a couple coming back after some alone time in the woods.

She then moved away from Ashlyn's grip, sitting up and holding her head in her hands, frustrated by the alpha's lack of interest. She turned to look at the alpha's face as she slept peacefully, smiling sadly as she realized that she wouldn't be able to stay by her side, a submissive mate for her and a vulnerable partner for her alpha to protect.

She sighed and got on her feet, picking up the coat she used to cover herself and then walked to the woods as quietly as she could. After she had walked a few yards she felt tears streaming down her face, each step harder than the other.

"Ali." Ashlyn said loud enough for her to hear. The omega stopped dead in her tracks and Ashlyn walked towards her. "Where are you going?"

"I'm sorry." Ali said simply and kept walking without looking back. Ashlyn simply stared at her retreating figure in the dark, feeling furious and sad.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short update! 
> 
> Please don't forget to comment guys, I love reading your thoughts and feedback!
> 
> Also... I'll have some time to write a few short pieces this weekend so if you have any ideas please let me know!

Ashlyn stared as Ali walked away and soon became nothing but a shadow walking through the woods, the light from the full moon giving the scene a somber look. The alpha wanted to go after her, ask for an answer and stop her above all else.

She just stood there, helpless, and watched her go.

  
//

  
Ali walked, feeling numb and with tears threatening to spill again. She couldn't stay and pretend she was fine with being overlooked simply because she was an omega.

She was raised among alphas and grew up being stronger than most, faster than them, and smarter than anyone she ever crossed paths with. She was an expert when it came to battle and fighting, she could pick a good sword just by looking at it and feeling it in her hand.

She wasn't a typical omega ready to give herself to an alpha, raise a family of five and keep the house under control, a plate of a fresh homemade meal on the table for her providing alpha. She wasn't ready to lose her independence for anyone, to depend on someone's approval and whatever they allowed her to do.

Not even for a wonderful alpha like Ashlyn.

She was truly a broken alpha, so strong in the physical aspect and yet so soft in her relaxed attitude. Ali had felt good with her, relaxed even, but it was the others and their clear disregard for her aptitude what made her feel uneasy.

In camp she was Ashlyn's omega friend, while anywhere else she would be Alexandra, a master warrior.

  
//

  
“Where's Ali?” Megan asked as she yawned. “She said we would go fishing today.”

“She's gone.” Ashlyn sighed.

“Already? But the sun’s not even up yet.” Megan groaned, missing Ashlyn's pained expression.

“No, Pinoe… She's gone. She left last night.” She said and looked down, taking another sip of what was left of Megan's liquor.

  
//

  
Ali continued walking for hours, her feet hurt and she was cold and hungry. She used all of her strength to keep walking to the east, where she knew there was a small town where she could make a stop and gather her thoughts.

She felt the cold wind announcing a storm was coming and she started looking for a shelter. She cursed in frustration, dragging some fallen branches and building a small and pathetic looking shelter for herself.

She crawled under it and let out all her frustration, crying loudly and sobbing as soon as the rain started falling in earnest. She missed Ashlyn's arms around her, the warmth that radiated from her body and the calm she always found in her eyes.

  
//

  
Three years later

Ali walked into the pub near the old docks in the old greasy town she found herself in after a job almost got her killed. She could feel the infection burning her insides after a not particularly sharp sword pierced through her side, and a knife through her thigh, as she took the life of a man who owed money to the man who paid her for the kill.

She had found herself in the business of killing and selling her expert fighter services to the highest bidder due to a misunderstanding, when she saw an alpha harassing the young omega daughter of a teacher a few weeks after she left Ashlyn. She was frustrated and hated to see alphas acting like assholes when they saw an omega, so she simply threatened and pushed the alpha, who tried to kill her with a knife, giving her no other choice than to bury her sword in his gut in self defense.

The father of the girl offered her a meal and a couple of coins for her help, as the alpha had alway bothered his daughter. A family friend came to ask her if she would be up for another job in exchange for more money and she agreed.

Soon her reputation grew and she was able to be pickier, rejecting the easy jobs of punching someone's face for stealing a goat or killing a sailor for leaving an omega with their child. She started accepting more complicated jobs that allowed her to exercise her strategy and training in battle, often taking down despotic officials and members of the court that used their feuds for their own benefit.

She saw them as soulless beings, and it was easier to end them than someone who was just trying to survive.

  
//

  
“Are you done with the goats?” Megan asked as she walked from inside the small farmhouse she shared with her mate, Sue, and Ashlyn. After they spent weeks on the road they found a small village and tried looking for jobs on anything they could to survive. 

Many of the others they ran away with got sick and passed away from the cold and starvation, and others managed to make it to the village where they found a job or followed a different route to other villages and hopefully a better life. They never heard from them again and it was all a distant memory for them after so long.

Megan convinced an old omega to give her a job in her old farm in exchange for a roof and maybe some food when they could share. She had overheard the lady talking to a butcher about her alpha’s terrible illness and how he'd been in bed for months, and mentioning that her and her daughter couldn't handle all the work by themselves.

When they got to the property it was in a very bad shape and the omega allowed her and Ashlyn to stay in the barn in exchange for them making it suitable for the animals again, since most of the roofing was unstable and some pieces were rotten, leaving big holes where the snow and the rain made it impossible for them to survive the winter. Neither of them knew anything about building something, but Sue, the omega’s daughter, helped them with ideas and not too long after they had a functional barn big enough for six goats, three cows and two sheep.

Ashlyn started working with the goats and the cows, milking them and preparing cheese they could also sell or exchange for other products in the village. Megan started working with Sue on the fields where they grew most of the food they would later put on the table, and some more they sold in the market.

After a few weeks Megan confessed she had fallen in love with Sue, who was also feeling things for her. Ashlyn felt happy for her friend and encouraged her to see if she would be compatible with Sue, smiling from ear to ear as her friend told her stories of how they had sneaked around during the day for a quickie in the woods.

  
//

  
“Do you have a place where I can stay?” Ali asked the owner of a tavern. It was late afternoon and she was still bleeding from her wounds. She was feeling a slight fever, and wondered if she should've stopped running in the woods to check on them a bit sooner.

“No, not for a dirty mercenary like you.” The old omega replied to her spitting on the floor and giving Ali a judgemental look.

“I can pay you in-”

“You're an omen of death, get out of my tavern!” She yelled and Ali felt two alphas coming to her from behind. She pushed away from the counter and started walking away, feeling the sting of her leg wound send a spark of deep pain through her body.

She got to her horse and pulled it to walk in direction to the woods, walking past the whores that were standing near the back of an old bar. She felt how they all stared at her and she felt the need to stop and hire one of them as she was used to so long ago.

After Ashlyn and the bond they shared, she hadn't been able to be with anyone else. Her heats, intense and demanding, were spent in the woods where she could moan and take matters into her own hands, away from any alpha that could even think of helping her.

She shook the memories of the strong alpha out of her mind and kept walking, stopping abruptly when her wound gave another spark of sharp pain that burned through her. She groaned and felt tears threatening to spill as she took another step, feeling how some fresh warm blood ran down her leg, and she didn't know if it came from her leg or her side, as both were throbbing.

“Ali?” She heard someone call for her and discreetly placed her free hand on her sword. She was an easy target when wounded, but if someone wanted to hurt her she would fight with everything in her. “Ali? Is that you?” The voice asked again, walking closer to her. 

Ali kept walking, knowing that she had heard that voice before but not remembering where. She felt uneasy and vulnerable all of a sudden, but she didn't stop to see who was calling her name, even if her instinct told her to look back.

“Ali?!” The voice was louder and soon Ali felt a stranger’s hand on her bicep, making her stop. “I can't believe it's you!” 

“What the-” she said as she aggressively turned around, finding the short haired omega she had met when running away from her life so many years ago.

“I can't believe it!” She said loudly, wrapping her arms around the omega and squeezing her until Ali yelped in pain and pushed her away, bending down and hissing as she felt like she could barely stand anymore. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?” She asked worriedly. It was dark and Ali was wearing all black clothes, but her pained expression was unmistakable.

“I'm fine.” She said and then hissed as she tried to take a step away from Megan.

“Bullshit.” She said and Ali glared her. 

“My leg.” Ali whispered, afraid that someone might hear her. Megan pursed her lips and looked down the short road to the village's hostel, walking with Ali towards it. “They won't let me stay there.” Ali grimaced. “I killed the owner’s nephew a year ago.”

“Whoa… You've been busy, huh?” Megan chuckled. “My cart is actually around that corner… I was getting some supplies for the farm.” She said and they finally walked around the corner, finding an old cart with an even older horse pulling from it. “Hey babe.”

“All ready?” Sue smiled, looking worriedly at Ali.

“She's an old friend.” Megan said reassuringly. “I'll ride her horse, she can sit here.” She said making some room in the back of the cart and helping Ali climb and sit painfully, her hand going to her side. “She's hurt.” She said softly to Sue, who nodded and watched her get on Ali's horse and lead the way to their farm. 

“I'm Sue.” She said after a few minutes of their long ride home. Ali didn't reply, using the time to check on her leg and grimacing as she removed the fabric of her old black slacks that was covered in a mixture of dried and fresh blood, sticking to her skin. “I'm Megan's mate.” She insisted. “Where did you meet her?”

Ali tried to ignore her, focusing on her wound and feeling a terrible sting of pain in her side that radiated through her body. She was sweating, starving and weak.

“Not much of a talker, huh.” Sue chuckled and followed Megan in silence. After a few minutes she heard Ali moan in pain and turned to see her clenching her fists as a new wave of pain consumed her. “We'll be home in a bit but we can't stop here.” She said to Ali, who groaned and tried to focus on the cloudy night above her.


	13. Hurt

“Where should we take her?” Sue asked when they reached the safety of their farm, noticing that Ali had most likely passed out from exhaustion or pain in the last few minutes. 

“The barn will have to do… Ash can't see her.” Megan said and noticed Ali was almost passed out, blood in her hands and the spot in the cart where she had to lay during the ride back.

“What?” Sue asked confused. “Why?”

“Remember the story I told you of Ashlyn's first real love and how she never actually told me she loved her omega but I just knew it?” She smirked.

“The soldier who left her? Yeah, why?” Sue said confused while Megan gave her a look until it downed on her. “Oh!”

“Exactly that is why Ashlyn can't see her.” Megan chucked, guiding Ali's horse to the barn and watching as Sue pulled Ali into her arms and carried her into the small space in the back of the barn where Megan and Ashlyn slept when they first got there. She laid Ali on the ground and quickly went back into the house looking for some water and clothes for Ali, some food and a blanket for her and being thankful that Ashlyn was probably out hunting for dinner.

When Sue returned, Megan was sitting next to Ali and making her a pillow of hay to lay her head on. Ali was sweating and grimacing, her hand shaking as the pain was almost unbearable.

"How are you feeling?" Sue asked and Ali chuckled. "Dumb question huh?" She smiled and then grimaced, the smell of blood filling her nostrils as Ali lifted the hem of her old black shirt that was covered in blood and sweat. "That looks bad." She said noticing the reddened edges of the wound.

"It feels worse, believe me." Ali groaned and tied to touch the soft flesh next to the wound, grimacing and shaking in pain.

"You got a bad infection." Megan said and grabbed an old shirt, tearing it to use as a cloth and getting it damped in clean water. "We're gonna clean this up, okay?" She said and Ali nodded, closing her eyes and groaning as soon as megan started cleaning the wound on her torso. "There's a lot of dried blood."

"Ash is coming." Sue said when she heard the horse the alpha usually took for her hunting trips.

"Go help her, I got this." Megan whispered and watched Sue as she went to stop Ashlyn from entering the old barn. 

"I shouldn't be here." Ali grimaced, to weak to move. "Don't tell her I'm-"

"I won't, and just to be clear… if I'm not telling her is to protect you from the wrath of an angry alpha." She said with a wink, making Ali chuckle. "But seriously… she was very hurt by you leaving like that."

"I know." Ali sighed.

"Why did you leave?" Megan asked, finishing to clean up the deep wound.

"I was… I wasn't comfortable with the idea of losing my independence and becoming someone's omega." She said truthfully. "Not even Ash's."

"Ash never saw you as an omega, she saw you as an equal." Megan said as she washed the cloth and went to check on the leg wound.

"As different as she may be, she's still an alpha… and I'm still an omega." She said and hissed in pain when Megan pressed the cloth to the wound.

"This one looks bad." She said and they heard Ashlyn and Sue talking and walking into the barn. "Oh shit…" Megan groaned and saw Ashlyn walking in with her horse.

"I told you it's fine, just take that to the back of the house and I'll be there to clean it up in a second." Ashlyn said and frowned when she saw Megan kneeling by someone laying on the floor, propped up against the hard wooden walls. "What are you doing here?" She asked her friend and guided her horse to the space where it liked to sleep.

"I uh…" Megan hesitated and Ashlyn turned to see her again, seeing Ali's eyes looking up in fear.

"What even… what's this?" The alpha asked, anger and surprised taking over her demeanor. 

"Ash, I can explain-"

"You better fucking do, Megan." She said angrily, leaving her horse and walking back into the house.

"I should go." Ali said and closed her eyes. She had thought she'd never see Ashlyn again, and that encounter had made her wish she hadn't.

"Where? To die in the woods?" Megan scoffed, going to give Ashlyn's horse some water. "She doesn't have to help, but you're not leaving either." She sighed and saw Sue kneeling next to Ali, continuing to tend to her wounds. 

"You go help her, I'll stay with Ali." She smiled and Megan nodded going to the house.

Ashlyn was sitting in the back of the house skinning some rabbits she brought from the woods for dinner. She had learned how to hunt from Sue during their first few weeks in the farm, and since then she had taken over that job as a way to pay for her hospitality since she didn't kick her out after mating Megan. It also gave the couple regular time to spend alone without someone walking in on them or hearing them while they had sex.

It had also become a way for Ashlyn to feel connected to the time she spent with Ali in the woods, and the feelings she had for the omega. After such a long time she still resented her for leaving, but her heart still ached when she woke up in the middle of the night after dreaming of Ali moaning in her ear.

"She's seriously injured, I can't let her go back out there." Megan said as she sat next to Ashlyn. "She's lost too much blood and she'd be a sitting duck waiting to be hurt if an alpha found her."

"That's her problem, not ours." Ashlyn scoffed.

"I owe it to her." Megan said and saw Ashlyn clench her jaw. "Had it not been for her we would've died in the woods, and you know that. She gave us food and courage to get out of there… she taught us to fish and hunt and that's why we even made it this far."

Megan said and Ashlyn didn't speak anymore. She focused on her task at hand and Megan just sat there in silence.

"She didn't want to come either. She wanted to leave but she does need our help and no one in town would offer her shelter… she's a mercenary or something." She shrugged. "Let's do what she did for us… let's just help her get back on her feet and then she'll just leave again." She said and Ashlyn went back into the house to prepare their dinner. "Is that okay with you?"

"This is your farm so it doesn't matter what I think." She said with finality, adding a few carrots to what would soon be a rabbit stew.

  
  
  


//

  
  


"I'll take some of this for the girls." Megan said and prepared two bowls of stew and a pitcher of fresh water before the two alphas sat down to eat. "Sue's gotta be hungry."

"I'll take care of Ali." Ashlyn said and Megan looked at her surprised. "You and your mate shouldn't have to spend time apart just because of her." She said and Megan tried to hide a knowing smirk. Ashlyn grabbed the bowls and Megan carried the jar and two cups back to the barn, trying to hide the satisfaction of knowing Ashlyn was concerned for the omega.

"Here's the food you- oh she's asleep." Megan said when Sue turned to shut her up as soon as she heard them walking into the barn.

"You go back inside, Sue." Ashlyn said, leaving the food next to her on the cold floor. "I'll stay with her."

"You don't have to, Ash." Sue said and Megan made a face to her to not reply back and do as she said.

"No, it's fine. You two go back and have the night for yourselves." She said with a playful wink and then sat down next to Ali, picking up her bowl and taking a spoonful of stew. "Go grab something to eat." She insisted and Sue shrugged and gave her a few instructions on how to take care of Ali before she left them. 

Ashlyn ate quietly and ate while Ali slept; the alpha tried to look away, but her eyes always ended up on Ali's peaceful face that looked a bit more mature after being on her own for so long. She finished her food and noticed Ali was sweating a fever so she started wiping her forehead with a damp cloth to lower her temperature, and she took a look at her wounds, noticing how they were in a real bad shape.

After a long while Ashlyn heard Megan and Sue laughing loudly and then their voices lowered as they came back to the barn, carrying blankets and Ashlyn's pillow. They walked quietly and handed Ashlyn an extra bowl of stew in case she got hungry, and a fresh apple in case Ali didn't feel like eating rabbit.

The couple checked on Ali's wounds one last time while Ashlyn reassured them that she was going to be okay and then they left again, making Ashlyn laugh when she heard Megan's plans for the night. As soon as she was alone, she got herself comfortable and found herself staring longingly at the omega next to her.

She had dreamed of having her back by her side so many times that she wasn't sure if the omega was real or just another very detailed dream. She sighed when she realized that not even in her worst nightmares had she ever thought of Ali being hurt and in pain so that she was there in real life.

The alpha covered Ali with a soft blanket and jumped in surprise when she opened her eyes, glassy and reddened even in the dim light. The omega smiled a little, and then frowned in confusion when she registered that Ashlyn wasn't just a feverish hallucination.

"Shhhh… go back to sleep." Ashlyn whispered, but Ali blinked and kept staring at her.

"Ash…"

"Shhhh…" the alpha insisted, reaching for a cup of water for Ali. "Drink some water." She pressed the cup to Ali's dry lips and watched as her face went from confusion to relaxation as she let the fresh water into her mouth. "Are you hungry?" She asked and Ali nodded, grimacing as she tried to sit up and felt a sting from her side. "Hey, slow down… let me help you." Ashlyn said and allowed Ali to wrap her arms around her neck so she could make the effort of helping Ali sit without hurting her wound.

"Thanks." Ali whispered and accepted the still warm bowl of stew, smiling.

"Rabbit stew… nothing more out there for me to hunt today." She said apologetically, watching as Ali ate. 

The omega took her time with the food, truly enjoying the taste of well cooked rabbit and potatoes and carrots, and the warmth of her first plate in a couple of days. When she was done she was feeling better, and she turned to find Ashlyn looking down at her own hands.

"I missed your cooking." Ali said softly and Ashlyn turned to her with a sad smile.

"Wouldn't miss it if you hadn't left."

Ali thought of a reply but she just lowered her gaze and sat in silence. Ashlyn closed her eyes and took a deep breath, moving to take the empty bowl from Ali's hand and debating on whether to offer her another bowl or just go to sleep.

"Are you still hungry?" 

"No, it's fine. It's more than I've had to eat lately." She said quietly, sipping some water.

"I have more here in case you want… and there's an apple. I could go back to the house and grab some bread too… there's no cheese though, maybe tomorrow." 

"No, it's fine… I could… maybe more stew." She said shyly. The truth is that while she had been hunting down her latest target she had barely had any time or energy left to look for food and the warmth from the meal Ashlyn offered was too good to pass.

The alpha smiled and handed her the extra bowl and the apple, making Ali chuckle embarrassed. The omega took them from her and made quick work of the stew, feeling her belly full for the first time in a long time.

"Thank you, Ash." She said softly.

"For what?"

"For taking me in, even if you hate me." Ali said honestly. "I promise I'll leave as soon as I'm able to walk and defend myself; I don't want to be any more of a burden to you."

"You're welcome to stay for as long as you want… this is Sue's farm so I don't really have a say on who stays." She said simply, and Ali looked down. "I'll care for your horse tomorrow. Looks like he needs some time out in the pasture." Ashlyn said noticing how the horse was almost too thin, having eaten his food and the little extra Megan left for him.

"He's seen better days." Ali said as she tried to slide down to a laying position, grimacing but refusing to ask for help again.

"We all have." Ashlyn said softly and then turned to Ali, who was staring at her with sad eyes. "Try to sleep." She told her softly, handing her another blanket.

"You don't have to stay with me."

"I'm not one to leave people alone in the middle of the night." Ashlyn said simply, the sting of her words hurting Ali more than any sword could. The omega closed her eyes and turned her face to the other side, away from Ashlyn, right as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

  
  


///

  
  
  


"Good morning sunshine." Megan laughed when a grumpy looking Ashlyn walked into the house in the early morning carrying two buckets of milk.

"Shut up." She mumbled and started looking for something to eat.

"Sue's out getting some eggs but she said she'll prepare something for breakfast. You gotta bake today though, not much bread left and I'm going to the village tomorrow."

"I know." Ashlyn chuckled. "Let Sue go check up on Ali while I prepare breakfast and bake something."

"Are you giving me the day off?" She asked playfully.

"Nope, you gotta go check up on Ali's horse, he looks terrible. The cows need tending too, I could just milk them and help Ali this morning."

"How's Ali doing?" Sue asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"She's better but she still has a fever and her wounds aren't looking good." Ashlyn said simply. "She ate a lot last night and slept through the night even if she was in a lot of pain and sweating like a pig. Her fever is receding a bit too, so that's good."

"Wow, such gentle words, Ashlyn." Sue said with an eye roll.

"Not my fault." She said simply. "I'm just an alpha, right?"

"Whatever. Get off the kitchen while I prepare breakfast-"

"Ash has it covered." Megan said, knowing that the alpha probably needed to have a moment alone to cope with the idea of Ali being back. "Let's go check on Ali and her horse." She said and Sue followed her quietly. "Don't be so hard on her." She said as soon as they were out of Ashlyn's earshot. "It's hard for her to see Ali again, and on top of that she's hurt so they can't just talk about what happened or really be mad at her for leaving."

"She talked to you about it, she should do it with Ashlyn." Sue said as they walked into the barn and found Ali sitting up eating her apple. She had managed to remove her shirt so she was only covered by a thin undershirt that was torn and bloody from present and past wounds. "Could you please go get one of Ashlyn's shirts and pants for her?"

"Ash's?"

"Yes, she's more muscular than you and me and she needs to be comfortable. I'll get those cleaned up when I go wash ours in the river in a bit." She insisted and Megan did as told, going back to the house and grabbing some of Ashlyn's clothes while trying to be sneaky and not let her see what she was up to. 

She headed back to the barn and found Ali's back to the door, her shirt discarded on the floor while Sue looked at her wound and helped clean it up. Sue looked up and pointed at a stool for her to leave the clothes and then Megan left with the three horses so the omegas could have their time to get Ali cleaned up.

Ashlyn walked up to the barn a long while later and saw Ali smiling and talking to Sue while she held the sword in her hand and tried to look scary. Ashlyn's stomach turned to knots when she heard Ali laughing and noticed she was wearing her clothes.

"Breakfast is ready." She said simply, and Ashlyn felt almost guilty when Ali quieted down and looked at her almost in fear. "Nice shirt." She said playfully and even Sue looked relieved that she didn't get upset. Ashlyn chuckled internally as she had thought about offering some of her own clothes as well, assuming that the omega would be more comfortable with clothes that didn't stink of blood and sweat.

"Uhm, Ash… where's Ali's food?" Sue asked as the alpha walked out of the barn.

"On the table, where else." She replied and kept walking until she remembered Ali couldn't possibly walk without hurting her wound, so she went back and found the two confused omegas staring at her. "What?"

"You're okay with me going into the house?" Ali asked softy.

"You're recovering from serious wounds. You shouldn't be down on the cold floor with animals around you." The alpha shrugged. "I'll give you my bed so you can be comfortable." She said and Sue smirked knowingly as she understood that the alpha was hurt and resented the omega, but she still had feelings for her.

"Thank you." Ali whispered and looked up at her to look for any signs of anger on Ashlyn's face, but she only found warm hazel eyes looking at her.

"Help her get to the house, then." Sue said as she got up. "Her leg wound is still swollen and she shouldn't put any pressure on it or she could start bleeding again." She explained and got on her feet, picking the blankets and other stuff and walking out of the barn before Ashlyn had a choice. 

Ashlyn leaned down and looked at Ali asking for permission to touch her, receiving a nod from the omega, who immediately wrapped her arms around the alpha's stronger frame and shoulders when she pulled her into her arms and stood up carrying her with ease. Ali grimaced as she felt a slight sting on her side, but Ashlyn's hands were gentle on her, wrapped around her back and under her bent knees in a bridal carry.

The alpha walked slowly, enjoying the feeling of the slightly too warm omega in her arms again. Ali closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the feeling of Ashlyn's muscles tense and strong, and the gentle touch she had missed so much. 

After a short walk Ashlyn stepped into the house and helped Ali sit down on a worn chair at the table in front of a warm piece of a freshly baked loaf of bread with butter and a cup of milk. Sue and Megan were already eating and laughing, and they immediately included Ali into their conversation while Ashlyn sat down next to her and started her own breakfast.

After they were done with breakfast Ashlyn carried Ali to her bed and left her there resting before she left for work. Sue stayed with Ali, checking on her fever as it didn't seem to go away and her wounds looked worse.

At lunch Sue mentioned how Ali was doing and Ashlyn immediately left, going to the river nearby to look for more fresh water and then going to the woods to look for herbs that could help her. While she was away, Sue told Megan about her idea to bring Ashlyn and Ali together, making the other alpha laugh and agree with her.

  
  


//

"I found these." Ashlyn said when she returned well after dark with her bag full of herbs of different types. "I'll put these on her wounds, they'll help with the swelling and will hopefully help with the infection… your mom used them that time when I cut myself with the axe." She said to Sue, who smiled at the mention of her late mother.

Megan went with Ashlyn and helped her press a fresh towel to Ali's forehead, wiping off the sweat while trying to cool her down. The alphas then tried to check on her wounds but Ali woke up and seemed to be disoriented and scared.

"Hey, hey it's me… shhhh, it's okay." Ashlyn whispered and sat next to her on the narrow bed. The alpha cupped Ali's face and waited until she seemed to register what she was saying, her face visibly relaxing. "You're safe, okay… I'm tending to your wounds." She explained and helped Ali back to a lying position, pressing the damp cloth to her forehead. 

"Ash, I'm cold." She whispered and Ashlyn nodded, knowing that her high fever was affecting her.

"I know; I brought something that will help, okay? Can I look at your wounds now?" She asked calmly and the omega closed her eyes and nodded. Ashlyn got on her feet and then uncovered Ali's side, finding the wound with the reddened swollen skin and the yellowish signs of an infection. 

Megan gave her some of the herbs and Ashlyn gently pressed them to Ali's wound, watching her grimace in pain. She then lowered Ali's pants and pressed the herbs to her leg wound that seemed to be doing better than the other one.

"I'll stay with her to try and cool her down. Bring me the remedy when Sue's ready, please." Ashlyn said and Megan just nodded, starting to truly worry for Ali. Ashlyn looked down when Ali's warm and sweaty hand found hers, squeezing gently.

"Thank you." She whispered and Ashlyn squeezed back, pressing the cold cloth to her neck.

  
  


//

  
  


"I should go to the village and get the physician." Megan said but Sue shook her head. 

"No way, no. Ali told me this morning how she got those wounds and we're not telling anyone that she's here." She said simply. "I'll go to the village and buy some herbs and remedies mom used to have around and I'll just say you got hurt at work and Ashlyn's been busy to go instead." 

"You think of everything, don't you."

"I do." Sue chuckled. "Now move, the remedy's ready." She said and walked into Ashlyn's small room, finding the alpha pressing the cloth to Ali's torso and neck. "Can you help her sit up a little?" 

"Yeah." Ashlyn nodded and quickly moved up Ali's side so the omega could wrap her arms around her neck and she could prop her up against the wall. "Sue prepared something that's gonna help you heal, okay? It's cold so it'll help with the fever too." She explained and Sue handed her the cup.

Ali looked at Ashlyn with hazy eyes and parted her lips to accept the cold liquid. She grimaced at the bitterness but didn't protest as Ashlyn pressed the cup to her lips after each sip.

They continued to wake Ali up for a few sips during the night, keeping her cool and leaving her in just her underwear so she could cool down faster. Ashlyn felt her heart hurting every time Ali moaned in pain or asked for a blanket because she was cold.

Sue was by her side during the night helping her with everything while Megan prepared some food for them and managed to replicate an old herbal remedy she remembered from her parents. Ashlyn didn't leave Ali's side and the omega always tried to keep their hands together, drawing strength and comfort from the alpha.


End file.
